Tottenham Hotspur improve to beat Fulham

A battling display from Fulham was not enough to secure any points away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this afternoon, as they lost 3-1.

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The Cottagers played well in the first half, but fell behind in the second, before a missed penalty ended their hopes of escaping the relegation zone today.

Fulham matched Spurs in the opening 15 minutes with half-chances for Alex Kacaniklic and Hugo Rodallega, before the hosts started to take control.

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There were chances for Younes Kaboul and Aaron Lennon before Paulinho finally put Spurs ahead, tapping home from Christian Eriksen's delivery.

They were ahead for less that two minutes though, as some poor defending allowed Steve Sidwell to collect the ball inside the box, hold off two challenges and then slot it past Hugo Lloris.

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Spurs regained the lead very quickly after half time as Lennon chipped the ball into the box where Harry Kane was on hand to head home his third goal in three games.

The visitors responded well once again, however this time Rodallega's looping header was tipped wide by Lloris after good work from Ashkan Dejagah.

Spurs managed to make things more comfortable with half-an-hour to play, with Eriksen again the provider, producing another delivery from a free kick which allowed Kaboul to guide home the hosts' third goal.

Fulham again refused to give up and earned themselves a way back into the game when Eriksen was penalised for handball inside the area. Sidwell stepped up to take the resulting penalty but didn't do enough with it and Lloris was able to palm the ball away.

They continued to push players forward but Spurs were pretty comfortable after that and saw out the game.