Manager Reaction

Martin Jol praised the organisation shown by his side as Fulham came away from White Hart Lane with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Dimitar Berbatov’s 52nd-minute strike proved the difference and Jol was pleased with the manner in which the Whites contained their hosts.

“In the first half we tried to restrict them and we didn’t play as well as we could but we were very well organised,” he said. “I think the second half was better – we should have scored a second goal with Ashkan Dejagah, and maybe Brede Hangeland could have made it 2-0, but we couldn’t and they are such a strong team so we had to be nervous until the end. Then Mark Schwarzer made that incredible save but, overall, I don’t think they had a lot of 100 per cent chances, so we did well.

“It’s all about the three points and it’s nice that it was here because White Hart Lane is so difficult to go to and get a result. They had four wins and one defeat in their last five league games – one defeat away to Liverpool – at home it’s a different kettle of fish. They are strong but we kept it simple against Gareth Bale and Mousa Dembele and I think it was probably Bale’s quietest game, so we did well.”

The win moved Fulham back into the top half of the table, with a healthy cushion of nine points now separating us from the drop zone, and our Manager admitted it is satisfying to continue to distance ourselves from the bottom three.

“I was very pleased because we needed the three points,” he said. “There were a lot of clubs around us with 33. Wigan Athletic have a game in hand and could be on 30 points so there will be one or two clubs in that mess and nobody wants to be in that bottom three.

“You’ve got Reading and, of course, Queens Park Rangers, but who else will be there? That is the thing that is always on your mind so we needed the points. But I have to say that before the game you hope for a point. Berbatov promised me, he said ‘you have to trust me’ and I thought he was joking but he said it before the match against Stoke City too. He’s a wonderful player and a remarkable boy.

“I think you have to pick up two or three wins – and that was before today – so you need 38, 39 points. But we’ve played the top four now – the only ones are Chelsea and Arsenal at home. We’ve got a few difficult ones away from home but hopefully we are fine.”