Arsenal legend Alan Smith was left stunned as Tottenham fans turned on Guglielmo Vicario during their Premier League clash against Fulham.
Spurs endured a disastrous start to Saturday’s home game against Fulham, with the visitors opening up a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes.
Kenny Tete gave Fulham an early lead and Vicario was at fault for the second, leading to a furious response from the Tottenham fans.
Vicario came out to intercept a through ball but instead of clearing his lines while under pressure, the the Italian dithered on the ball.
With his options narrowing by the second, Vicario tried to pass the ball down the line but his clearance found a Fulham player who gave Harry Wilson the chance to curl home into an empty net.
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Loud boos rang out and several Tottenham fans could be seen gesturing angrily at Vicario as he made his way back into the Spurs goal.
The ball from the kick-off was then played back to Vicario and more boos reverberated around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the 29-year-old shot-stopper was on the ball.
A few moments later Vicario again chased down a Fulham long ball, this time choosing to kick the ball out of play, drawing sarcastic cheers from the home faithful.
‘Vicario is getting absolute pelters from his own supporters,’ ex-Arsenal striker Smith said on Sky Sports. ‘He makes a complete hash of his clearance.
‘You don’t often see that, do you? Fans booing one of their own, seven minutes into a match. Booing a goalkeeper as well, which is obviously a vital position for the team.
‘The fans haven’t been happy with him but they turned on him violently there. He’s not the only goalkeeper that’s done that – we see goalkeepers come out often and they don’t always get the clearances right.
‘But on top of this dreadful home form, it’s not what he or Spurs needed.’
Tottenham’s only league win at home this season came against newly-promoted Burnley on the opening weekend.
Spurs have in fact won just three league matches in N17 over the past 12 month, their worst run over a 20-game period since the 1990s.
Tottenham fared far better in their final season at White Hart Lane, claiming 53 points out of a possible 57 – the best record in the Premier League.
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