Tottenham Hotspur missed an opportunity to break into the
Premier League's top four after suffering a surprising 3-0 loss to Fulham. Meanwhile, Luton managed to secure a crucial 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
With a victory, Ange Postecoglou's team could have surpassed Aston Villa to claim fourth place. However, their defeat allowed their competitors to regain the advantage in the race for a top-four finish.
Tottenham, currently in fifth position, paid the price for a lackluster performance, with Rodrigo Muniz scoring twice for Fulham and Sasa Lukic adding another goal. Following their impressive 4-0 victory over Villa the previous weekend, Tottenham had hoped to maintain their momentum in the pursuit of Champions League qualification, particularly aiming to finish above Unai Emery's side.
However, their plans were derailed as they suffered their first league defeat at Craven Cottage since 2008 and failed to find the net for the first time in 40 matches. They now trail Villa by two points, and the gap could widen to five if Villa secure a victory against West Ham United on Sunday.
"We were careless on the ball. It goes down as a bad day at the office but we don't accept it. It wasn't our normal levels. We didn't have the same intensity," Postecoglou said. "We're two points behind Villa. There's so much
football left. It's about how we play."
With Micky van de Ven sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Radu Dragusin earned his maiden start for Tottenham.
However, for Postecoglou, there was concern as Romania center-back Dragusin, recruited from Genoa in January, struggled in a shaky performance.
Fulham seized the lead in the 42nd minute as Muniz skillfully eluded Dragusin, creating space to meet Antonee Robinson's low cross and clinically finish from 10 yards.
Tottenham's defensive frailties were exposed once more just four minutes into the second half.
Iwobi was allowed to progress unmarked, slipping a pass to Timothy Castagne, whose cross deflected off Lukic and into the net.
Tottenham found themselves in disarray, and Muniz capitalized again in the 61st minute.
A header from Joao Palhinha reached Calvin Bassey, whose shot was saved by Guglielmo Vicario, but Muniz reacted faster than Dragusin to poke home.
Meanwhile, in a crucial clash at Kenilworth Road as the battle to avoid relegation intensifies, Luton faced Forest.
Despite Forest's three-game losing streak, they took the lead with Chris Wood's strike in the 34th minute.
However, Luke Berry, coming off the bench, leveled the score from close range in the 89th minute.
Luton, currently third from bottom, endured a heart-wrenching 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday after squandering a three-goal lead, and they are now winless in their last nine games across all competitions.
They trail fourth-bottom Forest by three points, and manager Rob Edwards commented: "You get knocked down on Wednesday and it was very tough for us all. We performed really well today in difficult circumstances. This group just keep going. We've got to fight. We've had to do that for a long time."
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo added: "We did enough to win it with the chances we had and the way we played."
At Turf Moor, Burnley, currently second from bottom, revived their slim hopes of survival with a 2-1 triumph over Brentford.
Vincent Kompany's team seized the lead in the 10th minute when Vitinho latched onto Josh Cullen's pass but was fouled by Sergio Reguilon just as he was about to shoot. The Spanish defender received the earliest red card of the Premier League season following a VAR review, and Jacob Bruun Larsen calmly converted the resulting penalty.
David Datro Fofana, on loan from Chelsea, doubled Burnley's advantage in the 62nd minute with a composed strike into the far corner.
Although Kristoffer Ajer pulled one back for Brentford in the 83rd minute with a diving header from Bryan Mbeumo's delivery, the Clarets managed to hold on for their first league victory in 11 matches.
With nine games remaining, Burnley now sit eight points adrift of safety.
"It had been coming. On another day we could have scored more," Kompany said.
Brentford have secured victory in merely three of their last 18 league matches and currently hover just four points clear of the relegation zone.
(With AFP inputs)
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