Tottenham Hotspur: Everything to Play for Against Fulham on the Final Day

Entering Sunday, Tottenham supporters were on cloud nine.

With a win against an Aston Villa side that's recent struggles had pushed them to the brink of the relegation battle, Tottenham would move into third position for the title and all but assure themselves of at least a fourth-place finish in the league.

To sweeten the pot even more, Spurs would have vaulted arch-rival Arsenal into that third position, which is so coveted given the possibility of Chelsea wiping away the fourth-place Champions League berth with a victory in the Champions League final.

However, there was cause for concern. After all, Tottenham picked up their first away victory of 2012 over Bolton in mid-week.

Spurs lived up to this record at the start of the match, playing shaky football. However, they held their nerve through the first half hour.

In the 35th minute, though, it was a bit of bad fortune that saw them concede on a 25-yard strike by Ciaran Clark that took a nasty deflection off of William Gallas.

Things got worse after the half-time talk, as Danny Rose got sent off for a tackle on Alan Hutton right in front of the managers on the sideline.

It was unfortunate for Rose: he seemed to be tripped by Emile Heskey just as he was about to make the challenge, which may have caused him to lose his footing and go in two-footed and injure Hutton, a former Spur. The left-back may have won the ball, but the referee was left little option but to show red.

From there, Tottenham controlled the match with 10 men, equalized through a penalty and pushed for a winner.

However, the loss of a man proved too much, and Spurs were forced to settle for a draw.

The draw means that Spurs again trail Arsenal by one point, lead Newcastle by one point and have a five-point lead on Chelsea (with a match in hand).

This means that all is left to play for in the final match of the season: a battle with Fulham at White Hart Lane on the Final Day, where a win will assure Tottenham of at least a fourth-place finish.

However, there are many factors working against Spurs heading into this match.

First, while playing a side that is eighth in the league on the final day is usually a good thing because they have less to play for, it may not be so beneficial with Fulham.

The Cottagers have been playing well of late, winning their last three matches and taking 16 points out of their last seven.

Seeing as they haven't checked out for their holidays yet, there is no doubt Fulham will be up to play spoiler against their London rivals.

Also, Spurs have a big problem in defense, specifically at left-back.

With first-choice Benoit Assou-Ekotto out for the rest of the season with injury and second-choice Danny Rose suspended because of his red card today, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has quite a decision ahead of him as to who plays at fullback.

Will it be a rotation across the back line, with Redknapp asking a defender used to playing in the centre to cover the role? Will he ask Bale to try out a match at his old position and have someone else move fill in for him in the midfield? Will he start someone with relatively no experience? Or will there be a whole shift of formation?

The possibilities seem endless.

Finally, there is Spurs' atrocious, yet improving, recent form.

With five points from their past three, it may seem like this is cause for optimism for Tottenham supporters.

However, factoring in their form over the couple of months prior to that and the level of opposition over the past three matches and that optimism may seem a bit ill-got.

On the other hand, Spurs have a fantastic record against Fulham in recent times, including a convincing 3-1 victory in November that makes them one of only four sides to get a victory at Craven Cottage this season.

But what Spurs will show up on Sunday? And will it be enough to get a victory over Fulham and a Champions League berth?

It will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the Final Day next Sunday.