Tottenham handed timely Champions League boost after Fulham defeat amid Aston Villa battle

Tottenham were floored by Fulham on Saturday evening. Spurs just were not at the races as they were thrashed 3-0 by the Cottagers, with Rodrigo Muniz scoring twice.

Spurs fashioned a few good chances, with Timo Werner missing an open goal and Richarlison firing wide, but in truth they were well beaten. On a day when they could have moved into the top four with victory, the defeat was hard on the supporters who made the short trip to west London.

Three points would have seen Spurs leapfrog Aston Villa into the Champions League places, although fifth place in the Premier League this season could end up getting Champions League football next year, given the expanison of the tournament.

Defeat means Ange Postecoglou’s side remain in fifth though and they were two points behind Aston Villa after the loss. That could have turned into five points, with Villa taking on West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

But Spurs have been given a slight boost, after that poor defeat, by the fact that Villa were not victorious. They could in fact have lost to West Ham, with the Hammers having two second half goals disallwoed for handball – the second coming deep into injury-time.

However, the contest did end in a draw, meaning Villa did not move further ahead of Spurs in the race for the top four. The gap between the two teams is now three points, with Villa holding a slight advantage in terms of goal difference – one better.

Spurs do still have a game in hand though, so could wipe out that advantage completely. That game in hand is away at fierce rivals Chelsea, having not been able to play a couple of weeks ago with the Blues involved in the Carabao Cup final instead.