Spurs down Fulham

Gareth Bale headed the only goal of the game just before half-time as he reacted quickly to redirect a Rafael van der Vaart free-kick beyond Mark Schwarzer.

However, Tottenham's usual fluidity was mostly lacking against a stubborn Fulham side who were perhaps unlucky not to come away with a point - especially after causing Spurs plenty of problems in the second half.

Harry Redknapp though will no doubt point out that these are the type of games title contenders need to win and the victory puts Tottenham into fourth place, although they will be overtaken by Chelsea if the Blues beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Fulham drop to second bottom in the table and the memorable European nights their fans enjoyed last season are beginning to look like distant memories as they face up to a real relegation battle.

The first half was pretty uneventful before the goal went in, with Tottenham struggling to play with their usual swagger.

Spurs have been spectacular on the counter-attack all season, but Fulham just sat in front of them in the opening period and despite the buzzing Luka Modric on the hunt for holes, chances were few and far between.

Van der Vaart tested Schwarzer with a fine effort and Roman Pavlyuchenko also got a shot on target, but those long-range efforts were the best they could muster in the opening 40 minutes or so.

Fulham had a few moments of their own up the other end. Dickson Etuhu was well-defended when breaking through in the 10th minute while Dempsey whizzed a shot wide, but when the breakthrough finally arrived in the 42nd minute it was for Spurs.

Van der Vaart shot from a 40-yard free-kick; Bale was alert on the edge of the box and stuck his head on it, the ball flying past a flat-footed Schwarzer.

In real time the goal looked like it had an element of luck about it, but replays showed that Bale knew exactly what he was doing.

The Welshman also drew a good save from the Aussie keeper just before the break but again Spurs cooled down after the restart and Fulham slowly worked their way into the game.

The Cottagers had a great spell of pressure just after the hour mark but could not find a goal, with Heurelho Gomes saving their best effort, a low drive from Andy Johnson inside the box. Michael Dawson then looked like he was going to put the rebound into his own net, but repositioned his feet with lightning speed to clear the danger.

The Fulham pressure eventually subsided and Tottenham had a few chances to double their advantage before the end, with Bale blazing over after a great cut-back from Van der Vaart.

Fulham had another late burst of pressure in injury time but could not create one last chance - and Spurs took the three points despite never really leaving second gear.