Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham

Two schoolboy clubs, not yet in the Football League, quietly began a London rivalry that would last more than a century.

Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, both still outside the Football League, played their earliest known encounters in the mid-1890s. Spurs had been formed in 1882 by a group of schoolboys from Hotspur Cricket Club, while Fulham traced their origins to 1879 as St Andrew's Church Sunday School. These were modest, local affairs, but they planted the seed of a London rivalry that would endure for well over a century.

Fulham pipped Spurs to Football League membership by a year; they had already been playing at Craven Cottage since 1896.

Fulham were elected to the Football League's Second Division in 1907, a year before Spurs made the same step. Both clubs now operated within the formal league structure, and their meetings carried competitive weight. Fulham had already settled at Craven Cottage by the banks of the Thames in 1896, giving them one of the most distinctive home grounds in English football.

Two London rivals finally met at the top flight's highest table, with Spurs holding the advantage.

Fulham won promotion to the First Division in 1949, joining Spurs at the highest level of English football. The two London sides now faced each other in front of larger crowds and with greater stakes. This period saw some memorable encounters at both White Hart Lane and Craven Cottage, with Spurs generally holding the upper hand in the league table.

Spurs became the first side in a century to claim the Double; Fulham watched from the same division, a world away.

Bill Nicholson's Tottenham became the first club in the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup Double in 1960-61. Fulham were in the First Division at the time, and the contrast between the two clubs was stark. Spurs were the team of the era, with Danny Blanchflower orchestrating from midfield, while Fulham occupied a more modest mid-table position. The fixture during this golden period for Spurs drew packed houses at White Hart Lane.

Fulham's relegation in 1968 ended regular top-flight meetings, sending them on a three-decade drift through the second, third, and even fourth tiers.

Fulham's relegation from the First Division in 1968 ended regular top-flight meetings between the two clubs. What followed was a long separation. Fulham spent the next three decades drifting between the second, third, and even fourth tiers of English football, reaching their lowest ebb in the mid-1990s. Spurs, meanwhile, remained in the top division throughout, winning the UEFA Cup in 1972 and FA Cups in 1981 and 1991.

Thirty-three years between top-flight meetings; Al-Fayed's 1997 takeover, and the work of Keegan and Tigana across several seasons, finally restored that fixture.

Mohamed Al-Fayed's takeover of Fulham in 1997 transformed the club. Under managers Kevin Keegan and then Jean Tigana, Fulham surged through the divisions and reached the Premier League in 2001. The Spurs-Fulham fixture was restored to the top flight for the first time in 33 years. Fulham's return brought a fresh energy to the rivalry, with Craven Cottage once again hosting Premier League football by the Thames.

Two London clubs rising at once; Fulham chasing a European final whilst Spurs gatecrashed the Champions League.

Under Roy Hodgson, Fulham enjoyed their finest season in 2009-10, reaching the Europa League final and finishing 12th in the Premier League. The Cottagers had become a genuine force, and their meetings with Spurs during this period were competitive, closely fought affairs. Spurs themselves were on the rise under Harry Redknapp, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 2010. Both London clubs were punching above their historical weight.

A 17,500-seat single tier; the old lane never stood a chance.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened in April 2019, replacing the old White Hart Lane with a 62,850-capacity ground that immediately became one of Europe's finest. The new venue transformed the matchday experience, with its single-tier South Stand holding 17,500 supporters and creating an atmosphere that the old ground could never quite match. Fulham, however, were relegated that same season, meaning the first meeting at the new stadium would have to wait.

This time, Fulham stayed up; the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was finally on their map.

Fulham won the Championship title in 2021-22 under Marco Silva and returned to the Premier League with renewed purpose. Unlike previous promotions that ended in immediate relegation, this time the Cottagers stuck. Aleksandar Mitrovic led the line, and Fulham established themselves as a competitive mid-table side. The fixture with Spurs was back on the calendar, and the meetings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gave Fulham fans their first taste of the new ground.

Two stadiums, two philosophies; one city finally producing a fixture that matters again.

With Fulham now firmly established in the Premier League under Shahid Khan's ownership and Spurs continuing to compete for European places under Ange Postecoglou, this London fixture carries genuine significance. Both clubs have invested heavily in their squads and infrastructure. Craven Cottage's riverside stand redevelopment and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium represent two very different visions of modern football, but both deliver a matchday experience worth seeking out.