Ex-Magpies striker Aleksandar Mitrovicwas only 12 yards away from making his return to St James’ Park a memorable one, as Fulham kept Newcastle at bay before being awarded a contentious penalty in the second half.
Mitrovic unsurprisingly stepped up to the spot, but the Serbian comically touched the ball twice as he slipped over to score – leading to the effort being ruled out – and Marco Silva witnessed Alexander Isakcome off the bench to head Newcastle into the lead with 89 minutes gone.
A spot in the top five of the table is still a distinct possibility for Fulham on Monday, as the seventh-placed Cottagers are only two points behind Spurs and one adrift of Brighton & Hove Albion, who could only draw with Leicester City on Saturday.
Defeat to Newcastle ended a five-game winning run for the Cottagers since the resumption of domestic football, but Silva’s side are proving that they can go toe-to-toe with the Champions League hopefuls and welcome Spurs to Craven Cottage less than two weeks after defeating Chelsea on their own patch.
Not since 2012 have Fulham managed to win three consecutive home matches in the Premier League, but only Newcastle and Manchester United have overcome the Cottagers on home soil this season, and some may even consider Silva’s men to be the favourites for Monday’s showdown.
After benefiting from Man City’s defensive lapses in the first half at the Etihad Stadium, it was Tottenham’s turn to make a wealth of errors in the second 45, as they failed to build on the gifts that were presented to Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal just before the break.
Within just 18 minutes of the second half, the champions turned the tie on its head to lead through Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and q Braut Haaland, and the former added a second right at the death to settle an enthralling six-goal contest
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Lamenting the fact that his side are making “many, many mistakes” after losing their third Premier League game from four since the turn of the year, Conte’s men remain in the top five after Brighton failed to beat Leicester, and the gap to fourth-placed Newcastle United now stands at six points following the Magpies’ goalless draw against Crystal Palace.
Only one of Spurs’ last five Premier League games has ended in victory, although that did come away from home in a London derby against Crystal Palace – thumping the Eagles 4-0 at Selhurst Park – and the Lilywhites have now scored at least two goals in their last four Premier League matches on the road.
Conte’s men edged past Fulham 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season, and the Lilywhites have also won each of their last six Premier League contests at Craven Cottage, but historical successes will count for nothing if Spurs’ error-strewn defence cannot tighten up fast.
