Harry Kane’s close-range goal from Ryan Sessegnon’s cross (75) and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s opener gave Tottenham the three points needed against Fulham.
Tottenham survived a nervy finale to beat Fulham 2-1 and continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Spurs were in complete control in the first half and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s opener was the least they deserved for their dominance before Harry Kane doubled the lead after half-time, becoming the third highest scorer in Premier League history.
Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic set up a tense climax when he controlled a long pass from Kenny Tete and curled a sumptuous finish past Hugo Lloris (83) for his sixth goal of the season.
The Serb had barely threatened until then but Spurs were almost punished for missing a succession of earlier chances when his deflected strike in the penultimate minute of normal time forced an outstanding save from Lloris.
Spurs thought they had finally wrapped up the win when Richarlison put the ball in the net from close range moments later, but VAR ruled him offside in the build-up, meaning the hosts were made to sweat for a little longer for a victory which moved them up to second place in the Premier League table.
Tottenham enjoyed near-total dominance from the outset, creating a glut of early chances and seeing the first of two goals ruled out when Heung-Min Son’s diagonal cross flew into the net with Kane in an offside position as he attempted to flick it on.
Richarlison, a menace throughout on his first Spurs start, then created another opportunity for Son after nutmegging Tosin Adarabioyo and cutting the ball back for him, but the South Korean’s effort took a deflection and flew over the bar.
Fulham then needed a last-ditch tackle from Adarabioyo on Kane to avoid falling behind following more good work from Richarlison, with Son then striking the underside of the bar from Kane’s deft ball over the top, but the breakthrough came soon after that.
Hojbjerg exchanged passes with Richarlison as he entered the Fulham box and, despite being surrounded by defenders, the Dane managed to stroke a low finish past Bernd Leno for his second goal of the campaign.
Spurs picked up where they left off in the second half but continued to spurn chances, with Eric Dier missing perhaps their best opportunity when he fired over from Richarlison’s cross when unmarked.
Ryan Sessegnon was then denied by Leno as the hosts continued to carve Fulham open but the Spurs wing-back was the architect of the second goal when it finally arrived, his low cross steered home by Kane for his 188th Premier League goal, putting him clear of Andrew Cole in third place in the all-time scoring charts.
Richarlison struck the inside of the post as Spurs pushed for a third but Mitrovic’s brilliant strike came moments later and Spurs were indebted to Lloris for keeping him from scoring a second when he acrobatically tipped his effort over the bar.
Richarlison was denied a goal his performance merited by a VAR check in stoppage time but it mattered little in the end. Fulham could not muster any more chances and the home fans were soon celebrating a fourth win from six games.
(Skysports)