'This is ridiculous!' - Igor Tudor labels Fulham star a 'cheat' after Tottenham's latest damaging London derby defeat

The match was ignited by a controversial opening goal that set the tone for Tudor’s post-match frustrations. Harry Wilson gave the hosts the lead, but the build-up was marred by a heavy physical challenge from Raul Jimenez on Radu Dragusin. Despite protests from the Tottenham defenders, the goal stood, and Fulham capitalised on the visitors' lack of composure to double their advantage via a fine Alex Iwobi strike. Although Spurs attempted a late rally, the damage was largely self-inflicted, leaving Tudor to pick up the pieces of another disappointing day in the capital.

Following the final whistle, Tudor did not hold back when asked about the decisive first goal, pointing the finger at the lack of consistency from the Premier League's match officials and suggesting Jimenez "cheated". He said: "Of course it's a foul, I think. Nine out of 10 people will say it's a foul, I believe, because it's so obvious, you know. Sometimes they don't understand it's enough, even small contact, you know, if it gives you an advantage to score the goal, you need to cancel this, finish it. It's not about a normal duel when he's soft, no, when he pushes with the hands and don't watch the ball, no. Sometimes it's just easy to get advantage."

The Croatian manager continued his tirade, claiming the referee’s decision was ridiculous given the impact on the game. Tudor added: "So, this is ridiculous to not give the foul, because the consequence is too big. It's not a small foul in the middle of the pitch, it's a goal after. So, there is a logic in that, so the referee, beautiful thing to keep playing here, let's play strong, duel, it's fantastic, I like it. But there is a logic, if the goal is, because he take advantage, not thinking about football, he was not thinking about the ball, he was thinking how to cheat. So, he cheated the player with pushing and they scored the goal. So, it's a logic, it's a cheating and there's the foul. It's not the thing of duel and they want that here is a football is more, you know, tough and we like the duels, it's nothing with that. So, there was no logic in this decision and logic is above everything, after come other things."

Tudor, who replaced Thomas Frank as Spurs boss on an interim basis last month, was equally blunt about the deficiencies displayed by his players on the pitch, suggesting that the problems currently plaguing the club are not easily fixed. "It’s a complicated situation, a lot of problems," fumed Tudor. "We need to find the voices inside each of us. We need more personality. We need more will to react. So, an amazing situation. Amazing. There are big problems here. We lacked everything. It is not just about one goal or one mistake. When you play for this club, you expect a level of fight and quality that was nowhere to be seen today. We are in a difficult moment and we need to look at ourselves."

The manager also defended his decision to alter his tactical shape from the back three he deployed in his first game against Arsenal to a 4-4-2 at Craven Cottage, insisting the attitude was the issue rather than the formation. "It’s not about system," said the 47-year-old. "The system is not important at this moment. The last thing that is important is the system. It’s very difficult to understand because you have the quality. But also football is a sport of running and duels. I have a sensation that Fulham players (are) always running and even with the brain. They arrive before us, they predict and we are always late on everything."

Spurs are now on a 10-match winless run in all competitions, and Tudor already finds himself under immense pressure. The manager’s admission that the team "lacked everything" is a worrying sign for the Spurs faithful, who have watched their team struggle for domestic form for over two months and slip to just four points above the drop zone. The lack of cohesion and tactical discipline at Craven Cottage highlighted a side that looks increasingly devoid of confidence, and Tudor’s honest observation suggests that the deep-rooted issues may take more than just a training session to resolve during this crisis.

He will hope for a strong response on Thursday when Spurs play host to Crystal Palace, who are currently six points above them in 14th.