At the other end of the table, Bolton Wanderers crushed Stoke City 5-0 and Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Wigan Athletic 3-1 to inflict the visitors' eight defeat in a row.
Goals from Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe gave Tottenham their seventh win in eight league matches to move them alongside Chelsea on 22 points, although Spurs have a game in hand on all the teams in the top four.
Tottenham were 2-0 ahead at the break but manager Harry Redknapp, recovering at home after heart surgery, would have suffered as his team hung on grimly after Younes Kaboul's 57th-minute own goal started a Fulham siege.
"He [Friedel] was probably the best player on the pitch," said Fulham manager Martin Jol, who was sacked by Tottenham in 2007 despite consecutive fifth-place finishes and who was warmly applauded by the visiting fans.
"We had 26 or 30 attempts on goal after half-time and yet we just couldn't sneak one in," Jol told Sky Sports. "We deserved at least a point, for sure. At least a point."
Wolves, who began the season well before a slump in form which resulted in no league wins since August, had taken the lead through former Tottenham player Jamie O'Hara.
Chris Eagles and Ivan Klasnic scored twice each to earn Bolton their first home league points of the season and avenge their 5-0 loss to Stoke in this year's FA Cup semi-finals.
They took the lead when Kyle Walker's low cross reached Bale beyond the far post and the Welsh winger's powerful shot was deflected in by Chris Baird.
The second half was almost unbroken Fulham domination and it was no surprise when they reduced the arrears, although Kaboul was unlucky when he unwittingly beat Friedel after Ledley King's clearing header struck him from close range.
Fulham camped in Tottenham's half for the rest of the game and Clint Dempsey came close to equalising when he rounded Friedel but his shot was deflected wide by King.
