Tottenham’s top-four hopes suffered a major setback on Saturday as Ange Postecoglou’s side imploded at Craven Cottage.

Tottenham knew a win against Marco Silva’s side would guarantee they finished the day inside the top four, but they would look back at how they prosecuted the game on Saturday with lots of regrets as they never looked like troubling the hosts.

Muniz beat the offside trap to fire the Lilywhites in front late in the first half. Antoine Robinson’s impressive cross met the Brazilian, who made no mistake from close range. One would expect Tottenham to return from the break with a bang, but they did the opposite.

Alex Iwobi and Willian pulled strings from both sides of the flank, with Tottenham struggling to cope with their intensity. One became two as early as four minutes into the second half, and Sasa Lukic got on the end of a Timothy Castagne cross to make it two.

Just when it felt like the visitors were getting a hang of the game, Calvin Bassey’s effort was deflected into the path of Muniz, who bundled it home to make it three. Tottenham rang four changes with Emile Hoijberg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Timo Werner, and Richarlison, but it was Fulham that scored again, albeit ruled out for obstruction.

Aston Villa will hope to make up ground on Tottenham by beating West Ham to steer clear in the top-four race. The three points Spurs got from Villa last weekend could well be usurped by Unai Emery’s men if they’re able to beat the Hammers at the London Stadium.

On Saturday, Burnley’s quest for survival received a big boost as they beat Brentford, who is now in the relegation mix. The Bees knew it would be a long afternoon after Sergio Reguilon was sent off early in the game.

The 2-1 win meant that the Clarets are now only seven points off safety. In the same vein, Brentford is now only four points better off the drop zone; it’s indeed time for Thomas Frank to press the panic button; it’s dire time.

Luton and Nottingham Forest settled for a 1-1 draw, with the hosts feeling the reverse of their midweek loss at Bournemouth. They led by three at halftime at the Vitality Stadium only to lose it 4-3 at halftime. They needed a late equaliser to earn a point at home, but Forest would rue the result.