Fulham goalkeeper Maik Taylor literally handed Spurs a way out of a potential
Cup nightmare at White Hart Lane tonight as Mohamed Al Fayed and Kevin Keegan
learned once again that whatever else you buy, you cannot buy luck.
Struggling Tottenham were living on the edge after former Spur Neil Smith beat
Ramon Vega to convert Matthew Lawrence's 56th-minute cross.
Smith's strike halved the lead Christian Gross's men had carved out before the
break through fortunate goals from Steve Clemence and Colin Calderwood, and the
Premiership giants were starting to stare humiliation in the face.
Then in the 62nd minute Jose Domingues got away down the left to send in a
swirling cross met by debut-making Garry Brady.
Taylor was beaten by Brady's header, only for the ball to rebound back towards
the former Barnet and Southampton goalkeeper.
But as Taylor reached out his right hand to gather the loose ball in, he only
succeeded in knocking it back towards goal, and a desperate lunge with his left
hand could only paw it over the line.
Perhaps, after so many problems, the tide has turned for Spurs.
It was certainly a horror moment for Taylor, as Tottenham, despite more
anxious moments than Gross would have expected, claimed their fourth-round date
at home to Barnsley.
With Jurgen Klinsmann still struggling to reclaim the form of his first spell
at the club, it was far from convincing, even if it was the sort of result that
might have been taken for granted only three months ago.
Since September, though, much has changed at both clubs, and although history
was on Spurs' side - they had never lost a home FA Cup tie against a London club
- the injury crisis so familiar to Gerry Francis had hit Gross with a
vengeance.
Gross, without 10 injured first-teamers, turned to 21-year-old Brady, who
looked calm, assured and very promising.
Fulham, thanks to Keegan's multi-million pound makeover, had only one fewer
international. Spurs did have David Ginola fit to start after a hamstring pull,
the Frenchman - in many ways the symbol of Keegan's Newcastle era - hinting that
he would undermine his former manager's new club.
Vega should have done better from an early Ginola corner, although the Spurs
nerves were obvious in those opening minutes, particularly when Paul Moody
discomforted Steve Carr, and Paul Peschisolido's overhead kick was gathered by
Ian Walker.
For 17 minutes, there was little between them, but then Spurs picked up the
pace, with Ginola moving into space before finding Brady on the right, and the
youngster's cross was volleyed just over by Klinsmann.
With Brady prominent, Spurs were brighter, and the breakthrough came in the
20th minute.
Domingues, switched to the right, started it by picking out Clemence 25 yards
out, but the midfielder's first touch was not the best.
But Alan Neilson, another ex-Saint, made an even bigger mess, and Clemence -
whose father Ray won the Cup with Spurs in 1982 - took full toll of the error to
net with the outside of his left foot.
It was what Spurs needed, Neilson and then Chris Coleman both just preventing
the predatory Klinsmann from striking.
But the second goal was not long delayed, and although, like Clemence's
opener, it was not exactly a thing of beauty, it was a joy for every home fan.
Vega rose with Lawrence to meet Domingues's near-post corner from the right,
but when the ball dropped it was the Swiss who reacted by hooking the ball
across goal.
At Aston Villa on Boxing Day, Calderwood had claimed a goal he knew little
about, and although this time it was thigh rather than hand that diverted home
he could again hardly claim it was entirely intended.
Not that it mattered, although Spurs' shakiness might have returned when Paul
Trollope saw his free-kick smash against the outside of the rooted Walker's
right-hand upright after Sol Campbell had been harshly adjudged to have fouled
the former Derby man.
The only real blot on the Spurs horizon seemed Ginola's enforced departure
before the interval, Paul Mahorn's arrival indicating how badly Gross' resources
were stretched.
Yet Spurs have made second-half collapses into something of an art form this
season, and after Mahorn had squandered a great chance to seal it a minute after
the break, it looked as if history might repeat itself, to devastating effect.
The impetus Fulham and their 4,000 fans were hoping for came when Lawrence
flew down the right and swung in a great ball.
Smith - shown the door by Spurs without making the first team - was
half-a-yard in front of Vega, but that was enough as he threw himself at the
ball to turn in.
Suddenly it was tottering Tottenham, all the raw edges exposed again and the
visiting supporters roaring their team on.
Trollope miskicked 18 yards out; Walker held a looping Moody header and then
gathered another searching ball from Lawrence.
Spurs had been reduced to route one rubbish, and had the equaliser come, then
Fulham would surely have fancied themselves to go on and win it.
But Taylor's terrible blunder undid all that good work, and from then on there
was no way back.
Klinsmann headed over twice, either side of a run on goal ended by a subtle
Coleman tug and a double Taylor save, although a collarbone injury sustained by
Walker clearly hampered the Spurs number one.
That problem might have been punished by Peschisolido from a Trollope cross,
but with Espen Baardsen sent on Spurs were rarely troubled again.
Even so, the "Wembley" and "Super Tottenham" chants of the home fans
seemed borne of hope rather than expectation or reality.
Teams:
Tottenham: Walker (Baardsen 80), Calderwood, Carr,
Ginola (Mahorn 43), Vega, Wilson, Domingues, Campbell, Clemence,
Klinsmann, Brady.
Subs Not Used: Mabbutt, Hill, Clapham.
Booked: Domingues.
Goals: Clemence 20, Calderwood 28, Taylor 61 og.
Fulham: Taylor, Herrera, Neilson, Coleman, Lawrence, Smith,
Bracewell, Moody, Peschisolido, Trollope, Hayward.
Subs Not Used: Walton, McAnespie, Carpenter, Blake, Thomas.
Booked: Neilson, Trollope, Smith.
Goals: Smith 54.
Att: 27,909
Ref: G Poll (Tring).
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