Tottenham player ratings v Fulham: Harry Kane breaks his August hex

Toby Alderweireld-7

Tottenham fans were overjoyed when the news broke that Alderweireld was back in Pochettino’s starting XI for this match. It wasn’t a dominant performance for the Belgian international, but it was a step in the right direction.

Alderweireld was a steady defensive presence for the squad, but it was his distribution from the back that really helped Spurs in the first half. His trademark long diagonals weren’t quite there, but he made several inch-perfect passes to set Trippier free on the right side. The talented defender will expect to play better moving forward, but he did more than enough to merit a place in the starting XI moving forward.

Jan Vertonghen-6.5

It was a pretty anonymous performance by Tottenham’s other Belgian defender. Vertonghen wasn’t bad on the day, but he really didn’t stand out in a positive manner either.

In some ways, that’s a good thing. Vertonghen was not guilty of any glaring errors. He was put in a bad position by Davies on several occasions, but kept Fulham at bay with his steady defending.

In a perfect world, you’d like to see Vertonghen impact the match a bit more, but this rating is largely a product of his excellent play over the last two years.

Davinson Sanchez-5.5

It was not a banner day for the Colombian defender. He never looked comfortable in this match. Specifically, he looked out of control when he tried to clear the ball with his head on multiple occasions. There’s a reason he was the defender taken off when Pochettino elected to put an extra body in the midfield.

Sanchez’s poor play might put him on the outside of the starting XI next week. It will certainly be something for Pochettino to consider over the next week.