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Going into this London derby, Tottenham Hotspur had not won any of their last seven games in all competitions. Jose Mourinho and his side will be pleased that run has come to an end, with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
Son Heung-min thought he had scored the goal to put them ahead in the first-half’s dying moments, when he cut inside and fired past Lukasz Fabianski. However, a VAR check showed that he had been offside by a matter of millimetres.
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Spurs eventually took the lead in the 64th minute, thanks to an own goal from Tomas Soucek. Giovani Lo Celso whipped a corner in, before a flick led to the ball deflecting into the net off the West Ham loanee’s outstretched leg.
Harry Kane scored their second in the 82nd minute when he was released on a breakaway by Son, calmly placing the ball out of Fabianski’s reach in his trademark style. The game eventually came to a fairly comfortable end, meaning Spurs have done the double over West Ham this term.
Positives
Spurs controlled the ball for long periods of time, making it very difficult for West Ham to build up any sort of rhythm in their play. They also looked dominant in their defensive play, having started off in a fairly shaky fashion. There were some moments that showed certain players’ individual quality, while they will be delighted that Kane got on the scoresheet for the first time in 2020.
Negatives
One thing Spurs struggled with defensively was dealing with crosses early on, with Michail Antonio causing problems. They also struggled to break David Moyes’ side down once they got into their defensive shape, seemingly running out of ideas. It is telling that most of their big chances came after Soucek’s own goal.
Manager rating out of 10
7 — His first match as Spurs manager was a victory over the Hammers, and he will be thankful for this latest victory over the same opposition. His side kept West Ham at bay well, meaning the fortunate goal was enough to make things fairly comfortable. It’s interesting to see that he didn’t use all five of his available substitutions for the second game in a row.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 7 — The Frenchman was very decisive whenever called upon, though that wasn’t too often.
DF Serge Aurier, 6 — He got forward a lot, but struggled to carve out many big chances. He could easily have had some assists to his name if his deliveries had carried a bit more quality. The Ivory Coast international allowed Aaron Cresswell to get some decent balls into the box at the other end.
DF Davinson Sanchez, 7 — The 24-year-old did whatever was required of him. He was comfortable when being forced out wide to cover Aurier and made things difficult for West Ham’s attackers.
DF Eric Dier, 8 — He was dominant in his play, specifically dealing with Antonio’s physical threat well. The England international’s positioning was impressive and he also looked confident with the ball at his feet.
DF Ben Davies, 6 — Looked uncomfortable at points in the early stages. Jarrod Bowen was West Ham’s biggest threat, and the Welshman was booked for a challenge on the former Hull City man.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 7 — He was a comforting presence in the middle of the pitch, rarely putting a foot wrong in the defensive third. However, he did misplace some passes when going forward.
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 8 — The Argentine had a fairly quiet first half. However, he sprung into life during the second, playing in the corner ball that led to the game’s only goal. He also showed great composure in the middle of the pitch. Would have had an assist had Son not been ruled offside by VAR.
MF Lucas Moura, 5 — He was often invisible, but forced a save from Fabianski in the 22nd minute. Should have done a lot better with a good chance at the end of the first half and was replaced by Steven Bergwijn in the 71st minute.
MF Dele Alli, 6 — He played some very clever passes, but just couldn’t quite do enough to unlock West Ham’s resolute defence. Was replaced by Erik Lamela in the 59th minute.
MF Son Heung-min, 7 — Having been on the periphery for the entire first half, he came within millimetres of opening the scoring just before half-time, having his well-taken strike called back by VAR. Was also quiet in the second, before providing the assist for Spurs’ second of the game.
FW Harry Kane, 8 — The Spurs talisman grew as the game went on, having started quietly. This culminated in him scoring the goal that took the game out of West Ham’s reach and ended his long and well-publicised drought.
Substitutes
Erik Lamela, 6 — Replaced Alli in the 59th minute and hit the side netting with his best chance of the game.
Steven Bergwijn, N/R — Replaced Moura in the 71st minute and gave a good account of himself in both attack and defence.
Harry Winks, N/r — Came on for Son late and was neat in his general play.