West Ham moved into the top four of the Premier League with a narrow victory over Tottenham that increases the pressure on Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.
Michail Antonio – back in the Hammers’ starting line-up after a two-game absence – gave the hosts the perfect start, poking home after Hugo Lloris had failed to deal with Jarrod Bowen’s cross.
Jesse Lingard’s third goal in four league games was initially disallowed for offside against Pablo Fornals.
But VAR ruled that the Spaniard was not interfering with play when the Manchester United loanee skipped through the visiting defence before powerfully finding the far corner to make it 2-0.
Half-time substitute Gareth Bale, who registered a goal and an assist in Tottenham’s Europa League win at Wolfsberger on Thursday, set up Lucas Moura to give Spurs hope, before hitting the top of the crossbar with a fierce strike 10 minutes later.
Son Heung-min also struck the woodwork in stoppage time.
The win – David Moyes’ first over Jose Mourinho in 16 attempts – lifts West Ham two points clear of Chelsea in fifth, while Spurs remain in ninth.
In-form Hammers grind out win
Moyes recently admitted to feeling “uneasy” when discussing the Hammers’ place near the top of the table, but that is unlikely to die down following their seventh win in nine league matches.
West Ham looked much sharper from the off and deservedly took an early lead through Antonio, whose pace and physicality caused the Spurs defence all sorts of problems in the opening exchanges.
Moyes’ side limited Tottenham to just two shots on target before the break – both of which came in the final minutes of the half – and they made the perfect start to the second period when Lingard combined with Fornals before lashing beyond Lloris to continue his recent revival having swapped red for claret and blue.
However, the hosts had their backs to the wall for the rest of the game as Spurs increased the urgency, with Moura’s header from Bale’s cross setting up a nervy finish.
They rode their luck when Vladimir Coufal’s clearance struck Son before looping over Fabianski and onto the outside of the post, but few could begrudge Moyes’s team all three points.
West Ham face both Manchester clubs, Leeds and Arsenal in their next four league matches. If they can emerge from those fixtures relatively unscathed, it could set the platform for an exciting end to the campaign for Hammers fans.
Sluggish start costs Spurs
Reports on Sunday suggested Mourinho’s job could be at risk if Spurs failed to beat West Ham, and the Portuguese’s team could hardly have made a worse start at London Stadium.
Mourinho will have been furious at the manner of the Hammers’ opener, as Eric Dier failed to clear Bowen’s in-swinging delivery before Lloris’ fumble allowed Antonio to prod home.
The goal seemed to drain the confidence out of Spurs’ players, who looked desperately short of ideas until Kane tested Fabianski’s reflexes late in the first half.
Lingard’s strike left the visitors with a huge task but the introduction of Bale – a half-time replacement for Lamela – soon paid dividends.
The Welshman’s corner was flicked in off the post by Moura to reduce the arrears, before the Real Madrid loanee skimmed the top of the crossbar from the edge of the area.
Kane – left out of Thursday’s win in Budapest for fitness reasons – also went close from the edge of the box and Son almost salvaged a draw in bizarre circumstances, but it was not to be for Tottenham.
The result leaves Spurs nine points behind the fourth-placed Hammers, although they do have a game in hand on their London rivals.
‘It was a big, big ask’ – what the managers said
West Ham boss David Moyes speaking to BBC MOTD:Â “It is a great result for us. Today we felt it was a big, big task. Tottenham are one of the top sides and have fantastic players. For us to get a result and keep our momentum going is really good.
“There was a period we could have gone 2-0 up when we went 1-0 up and we didn’t take it, so that allowed Tottenham to grow in confidence as the game went on.”
On Jesse Lingard’s impact:Â “Players want to play. They want to show what they can do. It wasn’t long ago Jesse was an England international so I knew if we could get that level of player, it would improve us.”
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho speaking to BBC MOTD:Â “The way we finished the game showed it was not a physical problem that stopped us having a result.
“I think we did [have enough to win]. Losing 1-0 at half-time you have to lift the players and play better in the second half, which we did.
“You are playing against a team that fought in the second half. They defended – we attacked and created and were unlucky.”
Comments are closed.