Substitute Macauley Zepa scored a late winner as Fulham’s under 18s beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 at Hotspur Way this lunchtime.
Ali Melloul’s side edged a see-saw thriller in north London coming from behind thanks to a delightful pair of strikes from Farhaan Ali Wahid. Tom Olyott put the visitors ahead in a swift start, but Spurs equalised through Damola Ajayi and then got their noses in front with Mikey Moore’s penalty.
The Cottagers were quickly on the front foot with Jayden Quashie denied by Tottenham goalkeeper Charlie Warren in the very first minute. Ali Wahid won the ball back tenaciously and Chibby Nwoko teed up Olyott to punish some slack defending by putting the Whites ahead from close range.
Warren’s reflexes prevented Olyott from doubling the lead just three minutes later – and Spurs seemed to gain confidence from that reprieve. Dino King did brilliant to get a hand on Callum Olusesi’s effort, but the ball fell kindly to Damola Ajaya and the home side were level.
But Warren was quickly called into action with two good stops from Olyott’s free-kick and the follow up from Tom Wingate. Fulham looked in the ascendancy but they paid the penalty after Alfie White was penalised for fouling Luca Willian-Barrett. Mikey Moore calmly converted the penalty.
It took only six minutes of the second half for Fulham to drew level. The wiry winger ventured in field and unleashed a powerful, dipping drive to give his side the lead. He needed just five more minutes to put Fulham ahead when he rifled home after a lovely lay-off from Olyott. Melloul’s youngsters could have been out of sight had Harley Platel’s deflected effort looped over Warren, but as it turned out the home side roared back.
They equalised midway through the second half when a good ball from Williams-Barnett released Moore, whose low cross was turned in by Ellis Lehane. Moore rattled the inside of the post after being set up by Williams-Barnett – and that moment was to prove pivotal. Zepa snatched the points for Fulham, tricking his way past two defenders and beating Warren at his near post.
Dante Orr headed a free-kick wide in added time as Fulham held on to climb above Spurs and move into fourth place with this victory.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Warren, Black, Chaplin (Logan 26), King (Adewole 45), Akhamrich; Willhoft-King, Olusesi (Thompson 87′); Ajayi, Moore, Williams-Barnett (Orr 87′); Lehane. Subs (not used): Krasniqi.
BOOKED: Willlhoft-King.
GOALS: Ajayi (30), Moore (pen 45+4), Lehane (66).
FULHAM UNDER 18s : Kaiser, Brad de Jesus, Nsasi, Tabares (Zepa 40′), Slade, White (Cooke 45′), Nwoko, Olyott, Quashie, Ali Wahid (Khan 91′), Wingate
Subs: Varney, Platel, Zepa, Cooke, Khan
