Harry Kane became Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer and boosted their Champions League hopes with a goal that beat Fulham.
The England captain struck a soft shot into the bottom corner just outside the box with one of his rare first-half chances.
It was his 266th goal for Spurs, tie the record Jimmy Greaves is set between 1961 and 1970.
Kane could have broken the record in the second half but his close range header was knocked down well by Bernd Leno.
It was just a second win in six Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side, who are now just three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Fulham had plenty of scoring chances ahead of Kane’s opener with Hugo Lloris preventing Bobby Decordova-Reid’s long-range shot and Harrison Reed’s snap shot.
But it is now a second successive loss and a missed chance to overtake Spurs in fifth place.
The game had started 18 minutes late following travel problems for supporters in the area and then problems with referee Paul Tierney’s communication devices.
Big night for Kane and the Spurs
It had long seemed inevitable that Kane would become Spurs’ top scorer if he didn’t move to another club first.
His 199th Premier League goal for Spurs in exactly 300 games means he equaled Greaves’ record of 266 goals, which stood for 53 years.
It was an expert strike from Kane, taking Son Heung-min’s pass with his back to goal, turning a defender and then choosing his place outside the box.
It was also an indispensable objective for his club.
Spurs had won just once in the Premier League since November 12, a run which raised many questions over Conte’s future. In nine of their previous 10 league games they have conceded two or more goals. “It’s an average like a team fighting for the relegation zone,” the boss said ahead of this game.
Spurs have started so many games slowly this season, and this game was no exception. They didn’t start until the 30th minute and could easily have been trailing ahead of Kane’s opener.
The second half was better, however, and Kane headed for Leno, then hammered a wide shot late.
Lloris, who has conceded six goals in his last two games – including his own against Arsenal – kept a well-deserved clean sheet with five saves.
Fulham still fly despite defeat
European surprise fighters Fulham’s back-to-back defeats came after winning five in a row. They shouldn’t worry, however, as those losses were to two of the only six teams in the country above them.
Marco Silva’s side were unlucky to lose to Newcastle and were narrowly edged out here by one of the greatest strikers in English football history.
Along with first-half saved chances for Decordova-Reid, Reed and Willian, Aleksandar Mitrovic headed for the roof of the net and Manor Solomon’s curling effort was deflected by Lloris.
They had a good chance in six minutes of added time but fell short.
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