West Ham – Tottenham: West Ham United’s hex on Tottenham Hotspur continued with a 2-1 win at London’s Olympic Stadium on Sunday.
Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard scored early in each half and Tottenham only managed a Lucas Moura goal despite 70 percent possession and a 20-4 advantage in shot attempts.
In other words, Mourinho got Mourinhoed by Moyes as West Ham claimed four of six points from the season series.
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West Ham continues its record of challenging Spurs, picking up a third result in five. More importantly, the Irons move into fourth place with 45 points.
Tottenham’s push for the top six, let alone the top four, is further imperiled by the loss. Their 34 points are ninth off of fourth and four back of sixth.
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Three things we learned from West Ham – Tottenham
1. Irons dig deep to lock it down: Jesse Lingard’s early second-half goal eliminated any question as to whether West Ham would need to keep pushing forward with any serious ambition but full credit goes to West Ham for an indomitable spirit as Spurs took hold of the final half-hour and asked every question of the 2-1 lead. Issa Diop was quite good in the absence of Angelo Ogbonna — at his best, there are few center backs as good as Diop on PL benches — and Craig Dawson and Declan Rice put in gritty shifts. We have to keep talking about West Ham’s potential.
2. Bale rounding into form but Kane, Son just off: The threat from Tottenham grew in stages and was downright scary for Irons fans by the final quarter-hour, but Harry Kane and Gareth Bale’s finishing was just off the mark as both stars missed bids to equalize after the Welsh forward assisted Lucas Moura’s early second-half marker. Son’s stoppage-time looper joined Bale in hitting the post in the second 45 minutes. The effort was there but West Ham’s defensive stars stood tall under duress and Spurs are now just two points ahead of rivals Arsenal and three points above the bottom half.
3. Mourinho got Mourinho’d by Moyes: Shame on us, but it was easy to undervalue Tim Howard’s early-season comments praising the determination David Moyes would show in building West Ham back into something special. After all, Moyes had been bad essentially everywhere since leaving his special decade at Everton. But Moyes has had the right prescription to get West Ham into the top four this season, and continued the Irons’ hoodoo hold on Spurs by using Jose Mourinho’s tactics to beat Jose Mourinho’s team on Sunday. Full marks to the Scot.
Man of the Match: Declan Rice
Goal-mouth clearances, economical distribution, and near-imperious in duels. Monstrous from the youngster, who put together a Sunday morning advertisement for the best teams in the Premier League.
West Ham – Tottenham recap
There was no need for a snooze button at the start, with three chances including a goal in the first 13 minutes.
Antonio had West Ham ahead off a Jarrod Bowen cross, another goal on the doorstep for the hard-working English striker. He might’ve had two when Jesse Lingard tried an inventive outside-of-the-boot cross minutes later but the pass was a foot too long.
Spurs finally had a good chance when Kane countered down the right but blazed his effort high and wide of the near post’s upper 90.
Heung-min Son drove the left end line and cut the ball through the box only to see Lucas Moura swing and miss at an effort in traffic.
The Tottenham attack continued to work down the left through Son, and Spurs finally troubled Lukasz Fabianski twice in stoppage time when the keeper got low to deny Kane and then saw Eric Dier thump a header of the ensuing corner kick wide of the frame.
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Spurs made two changes out of halftime including the introduction of Gareth Bale but West Ham had it 2-0 within moments when Lingard beat Lloris and a VAR check.
Moura made amends for his early flub by nodding Bale’s 64th-minute corner kick past Fabianski for 2-1. The Brazilian soon set up Kane, who just missed with a low drive in the 73rd minute. Would West Ham hold on?
Tottenham had a thrilling charge go for nothing when Declan Rice cleared a Kane pass into the box, Kane then taking the ball off the end line and feeding Bale atop the 18 for a shot that smashed the bar. Close!
