19 October 2024
Tottenham 4 West Ham 1
Tottenham welcomed West Ham to North London for a derby with both teams desperate for a win. While the hosts had made their worst start to a Premier League season since 2008, Hammers’ fans were feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the new era Lopetegui’s appointment had promised after the departure of Moyes at the end of last season.
It was the visitors who started in positive fashion and Bowen was causing the problems. He crossed the ball towards the back post and Kudus drilled a first-time shot at goal. Vicario was equal to it as he palmed it over the crossbar. An early warning for the hosts that West Ham had arrived with nothing but victory on their mind.
Postecoglou’s side started to push forward themselves. As the ball was worked to fit-again Son, he looked to bend one in the far corner. It missed by the narrowest of margins and the Spurs’ captain held his head in his heads, bemused that the net was not rippling. This was promising to be an all-action game in the early stages in the capital.
As the visitors came forward once again, Spurs failed to clear their lines. Lopetegui’s side recycled it well and as the ball came across goal, Kudus side-footed it into the back of the net. Postecoglou was stood on the sidelines with the look of a man who was wondering how to get his blood pressure prescription increased.
Despite their leaky defence, Tottenham do create opportunities to score often. Porro tried his luck from some way out but Areola was able to block and collect at the second attempt. It has been the one noticeable thing under their new manager, The Hammers do not look solid at the back whatsoever. It makes it difficult to win games when you gift your opponents so many chances.
Moments later, Maddison burst forward through the middle. He laid the ball off to Kulusevski in a wide position, with the Danish winger cutting inside onto his trusty left-foot. He made enough space to get his shot away and despite getting a hand to the ball, The Hammers keeper could not deny him. It clipped the inside of the post and went into the far corner.
The sides went in at the break level but it was the hosts who came back out looking the more confident. Son threaded a pass into Udogie in the box. He cut the ball back to Bissouma, who drilled the ball home to give Spurs the lead for the first time in the game. At this stage Danny Dyer was roundhouse kicking his fourth TV of the season into his living room wall.
Moments later he would have been knocking on his neighbour’s door asking to borrow theirs to smash up. West Ham defend like a Soccer-Aid team and as a cross came into the box, Areola kicked it at Todibo, with the rebound hitting the keeper once again and ending up in the back of the net. No wonder West Ham fans love a tear up after the game, this was enough to send anyone into a rage.
As the visitors tried to get bodies forward to get something out of the game, Bowen was crowded out. Tottenham countered and worked it out wide to Son. He stepped over the ball several times, like some South Korean Ronaldo, before firing a shot off at the near post. It went through Areola and into the back of the net. By this stage, Lopetegui must have felt like hooking up with the hooligans post-match too.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium erupted. From a goal down they now had a commanding lead. You can never predict what you are going to see from a Spurs team but West Ham would deserve a big mention in the end credits for this production. Their defending looked as lacklustre as France’s attempts to stop migrants crossing the English Channel.
With half an hour still to play, the visiting fans were dreading the final outcome. Son had the chance to add a fifth but his shot clipped the inside of the post and went wide. It was looking all too easy for Tottenham. After blowing a two-goal lead away against Brighton last time out, it seemed they would take all three points in this one.
The visitors continued to stream forward and had a Kudus effort blocked on the line. West Ham claimed there was a hand involved but neither the officials nor VAR agreed. At this point, the travelling fans thought their day could not get any worse. Oh how wrong they were. Kudus decided the entertainment was not over yet.
He got involved in a melee after fouling van de Ven. He then proceeded to lash out and push the defender in the face. Initially the referee produced a yellow card but was sent to the monitor by his friends in Stockley Park. After watching the incident a second time, he came back onto the pitch and showed the West Ham man a red card. It was a day to forget for Hammers’ fans.
Tottenham moved up to seventh in the table, with West Ham languishing in fifteenth place. Lopetegui needs to make big changes tactically with his team, they get opened up easier than a Lidl in a low-income area. The Premier League is an unforgiving beast and you worry for the season ahead for The Hammers unless they drastically improve.
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