Tottenham supporters filed out of Craven Cottage singing a familiar song after one of their own came to the rescue.
This time, however, Harry Winks was the name on their lips, the last-gasp goal hero who stepped forward in the absence of Harry Kane.
In doing so, Winks not only kept Spurs clear of the chasing pack but spared the blushes of Fernando Llorente who came in to replace Kane and opened the scoring, in his own net.
Llorente gave Fulham the lead and for long periods Mauricio Pochettino’s team struggled to find a way past the leakiest defence in the Premier League.
Dele Alli hauled them level, early in the second half but then appeared to pull a hamstring and limped off to extend the serious striker crisis.
Just as it seemed as though Fulham would take a valuable point for their fight against relegation, Winks appeared at the back post to head in a deep cross by Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.
It makes it 11 wins from 13 Premier League away games for Pochettino’s men.
Llorente was starting for only the second time in the Premier League game in 18 months as a Tottenham player.
On his first start, at Swansea, little more than 12 months ago, he scored the first in a 2-0 win.
Beyond that, his contribution to the cause has been limited mainly to late cameo appearances when all else has failed and FA Cup hat-tricks against Rochdale and Tranmere.
Suddenly, here he was, thrown into the thick of it, handed the responsibility of leading the line and keeping the season ticking over in a month when the 33-year-old Basque had been plotting a return to Spain.
Llorente was back to defend a corner when he lost track of the flight of the ball as it was whipped across by Jean Michael Seri and could not adjust his feet as it crashed against the inside of his right knee and flashed past Hugo Lloris.
The goal contained an element of good fortune but Fulham deserved their lead having played with such speed and direct threat on the break.
Five minutes earlier, Lloris made a reflex save to deny Ryan Babel a goal on his debut after signing from Besiktas eight years after leaving Liverpool.
Babel, operating wide on the Fulham left, caused Spurs problems in the first half.
He lashed another effort wide from a long pass from Tim Ream, headed over from a terrific cross by Cyrus Christie and was foiled by a last-ditch block by Jan Vertonghen.
Babel was also involved as Aleksandar Mitrovic had a goal ruled out before half-time. His cross from left to right found Andre Schurrle who unleashed a sweet volley which Lloris could only parry.
Mitrovic nodded the rebound into the net but he was offside when Schurrle shot and the flag was up.
Tottenham were fortunate to reach the interval at only one goal down.
