Fulham ‘alive and will continue to fight’ despite loss to Tottenham, says Ranieri News

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Fulham ‘alive and will continue to fight’ despite loss to Tottenham, says Ranieri

By Daily Sports on January 21, 2019

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri said his side are “alive and will continue to fight” despite losing to Tottenham through Harry Winks’ injury-time header at Craven Cottage.

Spurs, who had already lost Dele Alli to a hamstring injury, looked set to concede further ground on league leaders Liverpool but Winks stooped low in the 93rd minute to head past Sergio Rico from close range.

“It was a bad moment for us,” said Ranieri, whose side are 19th and seven points from safety.

“The performance was fantastic, but we lost the match through experience, that’s it. At the end we took a free-kick into the box. Why? We should have taken the ball into the corner.

“We played well and sooner or later we will find our way. We have to continue to believe. Now we have to stay together and I hope other players arrive to help us.”

Winks’ last-gasp winner means third-placed Spurs have a seven-point cushion over Arsenal in fifth in the battle for Champions League places.

“Sometimes in football, it is not tactics or formation - you have to believe,” said manager Mauricio Pochettino.

“It was an unbelievable finish. That’s why it is so important to believe.”

Fulham had nine shots on goal in an impressive first half and took a deserved lead when Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente scored an own goal.

The Spaniard, making his first Premier League start of the season in place of the injured Harry Kane, inadvertently beat Hugo Lloris from close range while attempting to clear the danger inside his own six-yard box after a Jean Michael Seri corner.

The hosts thought they had doubled their lead five minutes before the interval but Aleksandar Mitrovic’s header was ruled out as the Serbian was adjudged to be offside.

However, Spurs responded in the second period and they drew level six minutes after the interval when Dele Alli ghosted in behind the Fulham defence to head a pin-point Christian Eriksen cross past Rico.

And Winks completed the turnaround in stoppage time when he met substitute Georges-Kevin Nkoudou’s cross to break Fulham’s resistance. (BBC)

•Photo shows Fulham Manager Claudio Ranieri

Source Daily Sports

Posted January 21, 2019