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Tottenham Hotspur have been ousted from the EFL Cup's second round by their fellow London competitor, Fulham, succumbing 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 stalemate at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night.
Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham's coach, executed nine alterations to the lineup that secured a 2-0 victory against Bournemouth in the Premier League over the past weekend. Solely Van de Ven and Richarlison maintained their positions, while former Fulham player Manor Solomon received his inaugural full-time appearance.
In the absence of Marco Silva on the sideline due to a one-match suspension, Fulham also enacted six changes of their own subsequent to a 2-2 draw with Arsenal last Saturday. Notably, new addition Adama Traore secured his inaugural start, alongside striker Rodrigo Muniz.
Richarlison marked his first goal of the season with a header, responding to Fulham defender Kenny Tete's retreat to the changing room to replace a missing boot.
This levelled the match after Micky van de Ven accidentally netted an own-goal in the 19th minute, granting the hosts a justified halftime advantage, despite their boss Marco Silva's absence due to a touchline suspension.
The contest concluded with no further goals, resulting in a 1-1 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes and necessitating a penalty shootout.
Fulham emerged victorious, converting all five of their penalty attempts, while Davinson Sanchez's attempt from 12 yards was stopped by Marek Rodak, leaving him crestfallen.
Fulham's victory remedies their shocking exit at the hands of Crawley Town during last season's second round. Remarkably, this marks the first time in 18 years that Tottenham has been eliminated in the Round Two stage of the competition.
Ange Postecoglou, who defended his lineup choices post-match, stated,
“I am naturally disappointed with the outcome of being eliminated from the cup.
“Our performance lacked its typical fluidity, especially in the early stages. This was to be expected given the extensive lineup changes I implemented. For many of the players tonight, it marked their first start of the season.
“Cohesion and fluidity were lacking. However, I admired the resilience we exhibited. Team growth can be achieved through various avenues, and tonight we displayed genuine character. We persevered, and during the second half, we had opportunities to potentially secure victory. Unfortunately, we were unable to clinch it and ultimately fell in the penalty shootout.”
