One winner, one loser as Fulham face defeat against Tottenham

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Fulham endured a losing return to Wembley on Saturday, falling to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

It was a match few expected the Whites to get anything out of, but the newly-promoted club nevertheless played with energy and had the score level at 1-1 for a large portion of the second half.

It was an encouraging display, yet ultimately a pointless result as Fulham slumped to two consecutive defeats.

Here is one winner and one loser from the match, as one Fulham defender rose to the occasion and one of last season’s promotion heroes was dropped to the bench.

Winner: Maxime Le Marchand

There had been much talk of how Fulham were missing a multitude of central defenders in the run-up to the match, with Denis Odoi suspended and Tim Ream and Alfie Mawson missing through injury.

Yet despite the absence of these centre-backs, Maxime Le Marchand produced an all-action display at the heart of Fulham’s back four. Standing in the way of many Spurs attacks, the Frenchman was quick to snuff out danger and block dangerous shots all match.

It was telling that all three goals came from brilliant pieces of skill from Spurs, and Le Marchand might well have given Slavisa Jokanovic another selection headache when Ream and Mawson are fit again.

Loser: Kevin McDonald

The holding midfielder lost his place in the team on Saturday, replaced by deadline day signing Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

The Cameroonian international had only joined up with the squad this week, and with a limited number of training sessions under his belt, many expected McDonald to be preferred in the starting XI.

Yet to the surprise of some Fulham supporters, Anguissa was immediately thrust into the match from the start and played the full 90 minutes with promise. In flashes, he showed impetus and strength, yet struggled at times to distribute the ball quickly and effectively through the midfield.

McDonald, a stalwart and integral member of last season’s team, will feel hard done by to have lost his starting berth– but that is the nature of the Premier League.

More competition means more uncomfortable decisions, and it is now up to the Scot to convince Jokanovic that he deserves to be Fulham’s first choice defensive midfielder.