Lewis Holtby Eases Pressure On André Villas-Boas With Tottenham Winner At Fulham (PICTURES)

Holtby Finally Comes Good To Clinch Spurs Win (PICTURES)

Lewis Holtby scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham to give them a first win in five at Fulham.

Spurs rallied after Ashkan Dejagah threatened to give René Meulensteen a winning start at Craven Cottage, courtesy of Vlad Chiricheș' equaliser and Holtby's thunderbolt.

A January summer signing from Schalke, the German has struggled to distinguish himself at White Hart Lane.

Holtby is mobbed after hitting Tottenham's winning goal

Holtby has also failed to capitalise when handed rare starts by André Villas-Boas, and had to settle for a substitutes' berth in west London on Wednesday night. But he emerged to ease the pressure on his coach.

Villas-Boas was full of praise for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, however.

"It's fantastic for him: he needed a game like that for his confidence, Villas-Boas said. "This can be a big confidence boost for him going forward to make decisive saves and to have this impact on the game was important for him on a personal level.

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

Lewis Holtby at Fulham

"We brought him in last year with a view to strengthening, he fought for his place and for the team: he's a top, top goalkeeper who has great ambitions for himself and for the club.

"When called into action like that he showed all his qualities."

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