Goals from Tom Wingate, Macaulay Zepa and Aidan Evans guided Fulham under 18s to a fourth successive win as Ali Melloul’s side ended their season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Hotspur Way this afternoon.
The young Whites were in outstanding form from the off and have now registered impressive wins over Chelsea, Brighton and Hove Albion, Arsenal and Spurs in a superb climax to the campaign. Wingate steered the visitors in front from close range, and although George Feeney drew the hosts level, Zepa and Evans gave Fulham a commanding cushion at half-time. Spurs reduced their arrears through an Ellis Lehane penalty midway through the second half, but the away side resisted a barrage of home pressure to sign off for the season superbly.
The Cottagers made their intentions clear from the first whistle with a wave of early attacks. They could have led inside sixty seconds when Zepa seized upon on a poor pass from Elijah Upson to put Kyle Grant in the clear but the winger’s shot lacked conviction and was simple for Spurs keeper Samuel Archer to save. Zepa then also failed to stretch Archer when he pulled the trigger a couple of minutes later, but it was no surprise when the talented Frenchman played a part in opening the scoring.
Zepa sauntered to the byline and produced the perfect low cross that gave Wingate, arriving late at the back post, the simplst of tasks to score from two yards out. Grant should have doubled the lead when he went through on Archer’s goal again, but he skewed an effort wide of the near post.
Fulham were made to pay for that miss when Spurs equalised from their first real chance of the afternoon. Reiss Elliot-Parris roasted Naz Benchaita down the Tottenham left and crossed for Warren Feeney to fire home from the inside the box. But parity lasted for just sixty seconds as Zepa restored Fulham’s lead in stunning style. The talented winger took a pass from Logan Cooke, dribbled towards the Tottenham box and lashed a lovely finish past Archer from twenty yards out.
Zepa was a constant threat to the Tottenham defence and he helped extend Fulham’s advantage ten minutes later. His pass sent Seth Chingwaro charging towards the byline and when the former Manchester City midfielder’s cross was half cleared by Malachi Hardy it broke to the feet of Evans, who hammered home from close range.
Fired up by a stern team-talk from Stuart Lewis, Spurs were a different proposition after the interval and the visitors were indebted to goalkeeper Dino Kaiser for a string of superb saves. The Bosnian youth international did brilliantly to keep out an effort from substitute Tynan Thompson, who then set up Luca Williams-Barnett with some outstanding wing play only for Quinn Schutter to clear off the line.
But Tottenham quickly established a route back into the contest when Grant brought down Northern Irish international Feeney in the are and Lehane converted the subsequent spot-kick with ease. Spurs laid siege to the Fulham goal in the closing stages but Williams-Barnett shot wide after finding space in a crowded box before Kaiser stayed big to claw away a shot from Lehane after the striker had sped through on goal.
Zepa might have made the game safe two minutes later but his powerful shot from distance flashed wide of goal, before Kaiser came to the rescue twice in quick succession as Fulham held on for the victory. The goalkeeper palmed another Williams-Barnett effort over the crossbar and then got down low to field a Thompson shot. Both Daniel Batty and Thompson tried their luck before the final whistle but neither attempt troubled the outstanding visiting goalkeeper.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1): Archer; Hardy, Byrne, Byfield, Upson (Batty 75); Hall (Beggs 61), Feeney (Bangura 75); Adewole, Elliot-Parris (T. Thompson 45), Williams-Barnett; Lehane. Subs (not used): D. Thompson.
BOOKED: Williams-Barnett, Feeney.
GOALS: Feeney (19), Lehane (pen 63).
FULHAM UNDER 18s (4-2-3-1):Â Kaiser, Benchaita, Slade (Schutter 45), Cooke, Nsasi’, Slade (Schutter 45); Quashie (Khan 90+1), Chingwaro; Zepa, Grant (White 69), White; Wingate. Subs (not used): Mayer.
BOOKED: Chingwaro.
GOALS:Â Wingate (5), Zepa (20), Evans (28).
REFEREE: Craig Barnett.
