This should have been straightforward for Spurs. Two ahead at
half-time, thanks to Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, and faced only
with a pliant, perfunctory Fulham: just what the doctor ordered. No
drama, no tension, nothing to disturb Redknapp's repose, nothing to
exercise his recovering heart.
Even seated in the comfort of his Sandbanks home, though, the
64-year-old will have struggled to watch the second half. Even the
healthiest of managers would have found it difficult to endure
without palpitations. Fulham roared forward, Spurs fell back and
only at the last was a seventh victory in eight Premier League
games secured. Not the ideal start to Redknapp's recovery.
"That last 30 minutes would have been a tester for him," said
Joe Jordan, his appointed lieutenant. "If he passes that, which I'm
sure he will, then maybe he can come back a little bit sooner. He
needs another few weeks to recover, but at least in the first half
we treated him nicely. We punished him in the second. I'll let him
have a deep breath and settle down a bit before I speak to
him."
A wise course of action: Redknapp would have every right to
question quite how Spurs contrived to jeopardise the position of
complete dominance they enjoyed in the opening 45 minutes.
They did not particularly deserve the lead Bale secured for them
after 10 minutes, his strike deflecting in off Chris Baird after
Mark Schwarzer had parried Lennon's shot, but, equally, they did
not look for a moment like they expected to surrender it to their
hosts.
Even the occasional aberrations of the ever-unpredictable Younes
Kaboul did not look like derailing Spurs' charge into the top four,
the Frenchman's rashness allowing Clint Dempsey the best chance of
the opening period, but the American found himself denied by the
excellent Brad Friedel. It was a sensation that would become
familiar.
By the time the 40-year-old was next called into action, Spurs
looked safe. Indeed, as his players trudged in for the break,
Redknapp's only worry – along with Scott Parker's broken nose and
how serious the wince-inducing knee injury suffered by Zdenek
Grygera might be – will have been quite how effective his team can
be without him.
Jordan, assisted by Kevin Bond, encourage Lennon to switch
flanks, and was rewarded with what looked like the clinching goal,
the winger exchanging passes with Bale, haring towards goal,
shimmying Baird off as though he were gossamer and beating
Schwarzer at his far post.
Redknapp would not have known what was coming at that stage, as
his wife, Sandra, plumped his pillows and made sure he was
comfortable. If only, he might reflect, she had turned his
television off, too. "You do not have to be at the stadium to feel
the tension," the Fulham manager, Martin Jol, said. Not at all. The
shockwaves of this will have travelled all the way to
Hampshire.
And they would have been all the more troubling, all the more
distressing, for how complicit Spurs were in their own near
demise.
Not content with handing Fulham a multitude of chances as Jol's
side emerged, straining at the leash, after the interval – a Damien
Duff shot deflected over, a Brede Hangeland header saved, John Arne
Riise denied at the last – Spurs then went a step further, and gave
their hosts a goal. Ledley King headed Riise's corner against
Kaboul's back, the ball trickled over the line; in Seven Sisters
and in Sandbanks, hearts lurched.
It would grow worse. Fulham swarmed forward. Moussa Dembélé and
Chris Baird stung Friedel's palms; Clint Dempsey, sprung through by
Bryan Ruiz, rounded his countryman but could not beat Ledley King,
the Spurs captain denying him on the line.
And then, at the last, Dickson Etuhu and Clint Dempsey were
foiled on the line, the latter, seemingly, by the hand of Kyle
Walker. "It was handball," Etuhu said. "I was right there. The
referee knows. I had a word with him, and he said, 'I didn't see
it, and if it was a handball then I'm sorry'."
There was more: a Hangeland header saved, Dempsey denied by
Modric on the line. Fulham could scarcely believe it; Spurs could
hardly breathe. Only once Jermain Defoe had volleyed home on the
counter-attack, five minutes into stoppage time, could they relax.
No joy, no jubilation, just relief. That is what awaits Redknapp
upon his return. Perhaps he might enjoy a longer break, after
all.
Substitutes: Fulham Kelly 5 (Grygera, h-t), Ruiz 5 (Duff, 71),
Etuhu (Murphy, 76). Tottenham Hotspur Defoe 6 (Van der Vaart, 66),
Sandro (78). Booked: Fulham None.
Tottenham Kaboul.
Man of the match Friedel.
Match rating 8/10.
Possession Fulham 54%Tottenham 46%.
Attempts on target Fulham 20 Tottenham 8.
Referee P Walton (Northamptonshire).
Attendance 25,698.
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