Tottenham returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon as they came from behind to thump West Ham 4-1 in N17.
Spurs were initially made to work hard by the Hammers, but the visitors’ implosion at the start of the second-half saw them cruise beyond their bitter London rivals.
The manner of West Ham’s defeat will concern many in Hammers quarters and immediately lump the pressure on Julen Lopetegui, who’s overseen an indifferent start to his tenure in east London. They remain 14th in the table, while Spurs have climbed up to sixth.
The return of Son Heung-min to the Tottenham XI meant the hosts were at full-strength for this London derby, but they were facing up against a West Ham team that won in N17 last season and came with the intent of frustrating the Lilywhites.
Julen Lopetegui ceded territory and control in a bid to sucker Tottenham into a false sense of security, and while Spurs started brightly, Mohammed Kudus had two excellent chances at the back post from Jarrod Bowen crosses – the second of which he converted to open the scoring.
West Ham offered slickness in possession through Bowen and Kudus, but they were on the back foot for the majority of the opening 45 minutes and were forced to defend a barrage of Tottenham corners. Spurs’ pressure told through Dejan Kulusevski, who restored parity with a fine finish off the post, and Alphonse Areola was forced into a couple of excellent saves to ensure the contest was all-square at the break.
Scarred by the events which unfolded at Brighton two weeks ago, Postecoglou opted for a half-time tactical switch which saw James Maddison withdrawn, but the boss’ switch paid dividends as the hosts raced into a 3-1 lead ten minutes into the second half.
Yves Bissouma scored his second goal of the season from a Destiny Udogie cut-back before Jean-Clair Todibo rather comically converted into his own net after Son Heung-min and Kulusevski had combined in the West Ham box.
A vintage Son strike then completed the Hammers’ implosion on the hour with a vintage sequence and finish. Julen Lopetegui rung the changes thereafter and Kudus came immensely close to netting a second, but Spurs’ 15-minute blitz ended the contest.
While the scoring concluded before the hour mark, there was time late on for West Ham’s woeful afternoon to worsen as standout performer Kudus was sent off for a bonkers sequence which saw him evolve into an NFL running back as he stiff armed multiple Tottenham players after kicking out at Micky van de Ven.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 6/10 – Still doesn’t look completely sure of himself in possession and from corners, but he did make an excellent save before Kudus opened the scoring.
RB: Pedro Porro – 7/10 – Grew into the contest after West Ham drew first blood and had a real influence on proceedings, especially with the ball. Such a wonderful technician and he came close once or twice with ambitious efforts.
CB: Cristian Romero – 7/10 – This was much more like Romero, who snapped into tackles and ventured into the West Ham third hoping to make an impact.
CB: Micky van de Ven – 5/10 – Didn’t have it all his own way against Antonio, and there were a few duelling issues. Not his cleanest display.
LB: Destiny Udogie – 7/10 – Struggled early on and defended poorly in the build-up to West Ham’s opener. However, bounced back in the second half in a big way. After teeing up Bissouma’s goal, Udogie prevented West Ham from getting back into the game at 4-1 with a goal line clearance.
CM: Yves Bissouma – 8/10 – Favoured over Rodrigo Bentancur, and the manager’s faith was repaid. Offered stability at the base of midfield and finished smartly to kick-start Tottenham’s second-half rout.
CM: James Maddison – 7/10 – Withdrawn at half-time after a decent first-half. Pulled the strings but didn’t always connect. He did drive Tottenham forward and create Kulusevski’s equaliser.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski – 9/10 – Spurs’ standout performer this season was majestic yet again. Tremendous balance and poise in possession, with the Swede’s grace littered throughout the lunchtime duel.
RW: Brennan Johnson – 6/10 – The scoring streak comes to an end! Johnson did have his chances, but he didn’t have the rub of the green in front of goal.
ST: Dominic Solanke – 8/10 – No goal for Solanke, but he was brilliant in the N17 sun. The West Ham defenders had a torrid time trying to dispossess the Spurs forward when the ball came into his feet. Shone as a serviceman.
LW: Son Heung-min – 8/10 – There were aspects of this Son performance which were right out of the South Korean’s irresistible vintage. The skipper was back to his best here.
Substitutes
SUB: Pape Matar Sarr (46′ for Maddison) – 7/10
SUB: Timo Werner (70′ for Son) – 4/10
SUB: Richarlison (81′ for Solanke) – 5/10
SUB: Archie Gray ( for Udogie) – N/A
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur ( for Bissouma) – N/A
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), Radu Dragusin, Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall.
Manager
Ange Postecoglou – 8/10 – Who said Ange hasn’t got a plan B? His change at half-time offered Spurs more control at transitions and set the stage for the second-half rout. A good day for the Tottenham boss.
West Ham player ratings (4-5-1)
GK: Alphonse Areola – 4/10 – Areola made a couple of smart first-half saves, but it quickly went downhill for the Frenchman. Got a hand to Kulusevski’s equaliser, was at fault for the third, and Spurs’ other two strikes went through him.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 6/10 – Had his usual standout moments one-on-one, but not exactly sure where he was when Son was netting Tottenham’s fourth. The South Korean was able to dupe the right-back with subtle feints.
CB: Jean-Clair Todibo – 4/10 – The Frenchman’s first taste of this fixture was a pretty sour one. Torrid second half after impressing at times in the opening period.
CB: Max Kilman – 5/10 – Key in limiting Spurs in the first half with some fine box defending, but he wasn’t given much of a chance in the second half as the hosts ran riot. Kilman did not do a good job of covering Spurs’ runners in the half-space.
LB: Emerson – 6/10 – The left-back’s aggressive nature helped stifle Spurs down the right early on, and he showed some class with the ball at times. Like the rest of the West Ham team, he opted against defending after the restart.
RM: Jarrod Bowen – 6/10 – Started excellently and created two excellent chances – one of which led to the opener.
CM: Guido Rodriguez – 6/10 – Completely overawed after the break, but had defended pretty well in the first-half. Covered the channels well.
CM: Tomas Soucek – 4/10 – Really not sure what his role is in this team. He doesn’t even crash the box any more. Booked for throwing Brennan Johnson to the ground from kick-off.
CM: Lucas Paqueta – 5/10 – Paqueta’s quiet start to the season continued on Saturday, with the Brazilian struggling to get into the game before his substitution. Booked, too.
LM: Mohammed Kudus – 7/10 – West Ham’s shining light, no doubt – even with the red card! After netting the opener, Kudus spent the remainder of the game weaving his way through hopeful Lilywhite challengers. Lost the plot at the end.
ST: Michail Antonio – 6/10 – A bit of a nuisance and held the ball up pretty well at times in the first half.
SUB: Edson Alvarez (61′ for Paqueta) – 5/10
SUB: Crysencio Summerville (61′ for Antonio) – 5/10
SUB: Carlos Soler (61′ for Soucek) – 5/10
SUB: Konstantinos Mavropanos (71′ for Rodriguez) – 5/10
Subs not used: Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Aaron Cresswell. Vladimir Coufal, Luis Guilherme, Danny Ings
Julen Lopetegui – 3/10 – The Spaniard is in troubel. Appreciated the initial approach, but the sweocnd-half implosion will be a huge concern. Hammers don’t like losing this fixture, and they’ll be horrified by the manner of this defeat.
