Tottenham 0 Fulham 0: AN EIGHTH game unbeaten means Fulham have equalled their finest Premier League sequence, set in 2001, but a fourth successive goalless draw away from home indicates a side that favours efficiency over entertainment.
Only twice all season have their travelling fans had a goal to celebrate, the worst record in the league, and here they played the side with the lowest goal tally at home, with predictable results.
If the statistics appeared unpromising, so was the football. The first half featured one good chance, two fine saves and little else.
Only in the last 10 minutes of the game did either side put together a sustained spell of pressure. In that period, with Fulham visibly tiring, it was perversely they who came closest to scoring.
Five minutes from time Vedran Corluka advanced from right-back, pushing a pass to Jermaine Jenas whose return ball was mishit, and with possession lost, one touch from Simon Davies sent Andrew Johnson clean through. Crucially, the striker stumbled as he prepared to shoot and Heurelho Gomes scrambled a save.
"We're doing well defensively but that's not because we've got 11 men behind the ball and we're kicking the ball into the stand and hoping for the best," said the Fulham manager, Roy Hodgson.
"We're trying to play as much football as the opposition. Tottenham are a good side that make a lot of chances, and the way we restricted them here is a good sign for the future."
Spurs carved few opportunities, with Benoit Assou-Ekotto responsible for their best chances. From his first-half centre Aaron Lennon forced Mark Schwarzer into an excellent save, while later he set up Luka Modric for a header just off target.
Spurs, meanwhile, head to West Bromwich tomorrow with only goal difference keeping them out of the relegation places and their battle for safety far from a conclusion.
"We're going to be stuck in it for a while," said Harry Redknapp. "We're not going to suddenly walk out of it."
Another striker, the priority for January's transfer window, should help. Given Fulham's inability to score, it was surprising that Redknapp spent yesterday drooling over one of their strikers.
"I thought Bobby Zamora was outstanding," he said. "I wish he was still at Tottenham. They let him go, thought he wasn't good enough. Maybe he wasn't good enough when they had Berbatov and Keane, but he looked all right to me."
Redknapp expects Manchester City to lead the race to sign West Ham striker Craig Bellamy when the January transfer window opens.
Spurs had a bid turned down for the Wales international just before Christmas and now anticipate City being able to make a higher offer than the €7 million they value the 29-year-old.
Redknapp, who is reluctant to pay over the odds for players, added: "Where are you going to find a striker? Who is going to sell them? That is all I do all day. You can find someone from Moldova or wherever - but I'm not taking chances."
• Guardian Service
