By The SCM Sports Team
LONDON – The magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—a £1 billion monument to North London ambition—turned into a theatre of nightmares as Fulham strolled away with a stunning 2-1 derby victory.
For the faithful 60,000+ crowd, the futuristic, state-of-the-art venue was less “Home of the Spurs” and more the House of Pain as the Lilywhites slumped to a fourth home league defeat this season.
The atmosphere, which usually crackles with the buzz of one of football’s finest grounds, became thick with anxiety and eventually, bitter frustration.
Manager Thomas Frank’s side were floored by a disastrous double-punch in the opening minutes, leaving the home fans in the huge South Stand staring at the pitch in stunned silence.
Kenny Tete (4) and Harry Wilson (6) cashed in on some truly shambolic defending, with the two goals coming so quickly that many fans were still settling into their ultra-modern, comfy seats.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—designed to intimidate opponents—instead seemed to paralyse its own occupants.
The sight of the team’s sleek new pitch, which slides away at the touch of a button, suddenly felt like a metaphor: the Spurs season is rapidly disappearing down a dark hole.
The stunning venue, often praised for its acoustics, turned those decibels against the home team.
Boos reportedly rained down on goalkeeper Vicario after his error for the second goal, leaving Frank to launch a furious post-match defence of his player.
”Booing during the match is poison,” the manager raged, but the fans’ frustration is less about one player and more about a worrying trend: the supposed fortress in N17 is looking distinctly porous.
Mohammed Kudus fired home a stunning rocket (59) to briefly lift the mood and get the giant stadium rocking again.
The architecturally brilliant arena briefly came alive with the sound of hope, but the equaliser never came.
The Cottagers, celebrating Marco Silva’s 200th Premier League game, shut up shop and easily weathered the late storm.
As Stuart Attwell blew the final whistle, a huge groan swept around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The stunning complex has hosted boxing, NFL, and concerts, but the sight of the home team losing yet again is a production the fans are sick of seeing.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a world-class venue. The current Tottenham team? Not so much.
