With the aim of moving back to the top of the PL table, Spurs started quickly and had a good chance inside the opening stages when Dutch defender Micky van de Ven powered a header over the bar.
However, Fulham, who had failed to win any of their last 10 PL London derbies, were prepared to stamp their authority on the game with Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario forced into a stunning save from a João Palhinha header just after the 10 minute mark.
What followed then was Ange Postecoglou’s side struggling to break down a well-drilled Fulham defence marshalled by the returning Calvin Bassey.
It took a counter-attack after 30 minutes for the home side to have the biggest chance of the half, when Maddison picked up a loose pass inside his own half, spread the ball to Dejan Kulusevski who in turn fed Richarlison, but the Brazilian saw his shot go inches wide.
The visiting defence was eventually breached 10 minutes before the break, as Bassey gave the ball away in his own half, and September’s PL Player of the Month, Heung-Min Son, lashed his shot into the top corner.
Fulham boss Marco Silva made a double switch at the HT break to try and get back into the game. Attackers Alex Iwobi and Raúl Jiménez were introduced to bolster the Cottagers’ attack.
However, maybe Silva should have strengthened his defence as another wayward pass by Bassey gifted Spurs another goal, as Maddison capitalised and bagged his first home goal after being slid in by Son.
The second goal enabled the home side to play with a lot more freedom and time after time, Spurs counter-attacked, their only disappointment being that they should have been more clinical in front of goal.
That said, Tottenham deserved all three points and gladly took their place at the top of the PL table. Fulham, though, remain winless away from home in four matches.
There was more delight at full time for Postecoglou who saw his Spurs side pick up 23 points from their first nine PL games which was more than any new manager had collected in the league’s history.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Heung-min Son (Tottenham Hotspur)
Get all of our stats and comms from this match here!
