Tottenham 1 Fulham 0: It was their first win since August 20th but still Tottenham were elevated into the top four by these three points.
That statistic will provide ammunition to both the optimists and the doom-mongers who are ranged on both sides of the debate over the excellence of England's top flight, but it will matter little to Spurs fans enlivened by the result.
Clearly it reinforces the argument that any team can beat any other in this league, and there was a fair share of entertainment on offer, but, given the amount of possession wasted - with Jermaine Jenas the chief culprit - the class remains open to question. This is a Tottenham side who, after all, suffered 1-0 defeat to Grimsby last week.
When Martin Jol complained that his side at Grimsby "lacked the quality" in the final third, he was risking guffaws. After all how could Spurs, assembled at a cumulative cost of about £33 million, fail to put away a team 60 league places below them? In a way, though, the manager had a point.
Sadly for him, very little of that money was spent at his behest. If anyone had asked him two years ago to talk about Andy Reid he might have been more likely to extol the virtues of the Collins Gem Dutch-English dictionary, a handy read indeed, than about the former Nottingham Forest midfielder.
Jol's fingerprints have been on very few of Spurs' recent signings, moreover; namely Edgar Davids and Lee Young-pyo. Instead transfer policy has been dictated by the increasingly interventionist Daniel Levy, and hence the accent has been on the chairman acquiring young British players of varying quality and usefulness.
The manager's plan has been to employ Davids wide on the left of midfield with Lee overlapping, a project that was curtailed with injury to the Dutchman. Last night, after previously being forced to play Jermaine Jenas and Teemu Tainio out of position on the wing, he was able to restore the intended equilibrium to his team as Davids returned to the line-up.
With Fulham playing into their hands by launching hopeful balls forward, Tottenham had all the possession they could have desired, and used it well. Lee, given space due to his deep position, almost surprised Fulham with a swerving drive from all of 40 yards that drew a smart save from Tony Warner.
Ledley King then mixed up Tottenham's approach with his own long ball but the low trajectory made it easier to control and Jermain Defoe did. With one touch he beat Carlos Bocanegra and dispatched a left-foot shot across Warner for a first goal in eight games for club and country.
Fulham would not be cowed and it proved a precursor for a more promising period for the visitors. Claus Jensen and Steed Malbranque exchanged passes, allowing the Dane to unleash a dipping effort that struck the bar. Then Brian McBride did well to chest down the ball under the attentions of Nourredine Naybet before firing marginally wide.
Perhaps as big a boost for Jol as Davids appearance was the return from suspension of Mido; his bruising presence taking the brunt of attentions away from Defoe. The England forward revelled in it, and presented his partner with a chance from which he should have scored.
When Lennon was withdrawn in favour of Reid he was enveloped in a bear hug from his manager. He was nearly suffocated, but he deserved the love.
TOTTENHAM: Robinson, Stalteri, Naybet, King, Lee, Lennon (Reid 71), Jenas, Pedro Mendes, Davids, Defoe (Keane 75), Mido (Rasiak 89). Subs Not Used: Kelly, Cerny. Goals: Defoe 8.
FULHAM: Warner, Volz, Knight, Bocanegra, Niclas Jensen, Radzinski, Malbranque, Diop, Claus Jensen, Boa Morte, McBride (John 75). Subs Not Used: Crossley, Elrich, Christanval, Leacock. Booked: Knight, Diop, John.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
