West Ham beat Tottenham Hotspur in season defining derby
By Fraser Day
West Ham claimed a landmark win over Tottenham Hotspur in a thrilling London derby. The win was David Moyes first over Jose Mourinho, thanks to goals coming from Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard. A Lucas Moura goal gave the visitors some late hope, but the Hammers held on to regain fourth place in the Premier League.
West Ham Team News
West Ham welcome the return of Michail Antonio to the starting XI, whilst Pablo Fornals comes in for Ben Johnson in a return to a back four. The Hammers remain without Angelo Ogbonna, Andriy Yarmolenko, Darren Randolph and long-term absentee Arthur Masuaku.
Jesse Lingard’s impressive display against Sheffield United sees the England international retain his place on the left ahead of both Said Benrahma and Manuel Lanzini.
West Ham entered the game in fine form, looking for a win over their arch-rivals with a win sending the Hammers fourth, two points clear of fifth-place Chelsea.
It was first blood for the Hammers on what was their first attempt on goal. A great ball in from the right-hand side by Jarrod Bowen was met by an outstretched Antonio. The initial shot was saved by Hugo Lloris, but Antonio was first to respond, stabbing home the rebound from close range.
After ten minutes, Antonio stole the ball from Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and broke forward with Lingard to his left. The ball was played into Lingard, who struggled to bring the ball under control before attempting to feed it back to Antonio, but the ball narrowly won out of play.
A nasty clash of heads involving Tomas Soucek and Davidson Sanchez saw the Czech international leave the field for several minutes to receive medical treatment on a nasty bleeding gash above his right eye.
A corner for West Ham some five minutes before halftime was no doubt seen as the ideal opportunity to double the lead, but Craig Dawsons powerful header was straight at Lloris, who made the save.
Harry Kane had a perfect opportunity to level the game just seconds before the end of the half with the England internationals shot across goal stopped by a diving Lukasz Fabianski, who got down well to prevent the shot nestling in the bottom corner.
A double change for Spurs at half time with Gareth Bale and Matt Doherty replacing Lamela and Japhet Tanganga.
A devastating blow from West Ham just two minutes into the second half with Jesse Lingard smashing the ball past Lloris after a great piece of build-up play with Fornals. A clinical finish from Lingard on his weaker left foot for his 3rd West Ham and Premier League goal of the season.
A lapse in concentration from Aaron Cresswell allowed Spurs a lifeline in the game, with Lucas Moura getting away from Cresswell to head home Bale’s corner.
Spurs should have had a second 10 minutes from time after Spurs broke forward with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Moura flooding the West Ham box. The ball was played across the six-yard line, but Declan Rice was first to the ball to save what looked like a certain goal. The loose ball fell to Bale on the edge of the box, whose half volley thundered off Fabianski’s crossbar.
As the game entered extra time, every West Ham fan will no doubt have been on the edge of their seat. Spurs came close after Coufal’s clearance deflected off Heung Min Son looping over Fabianski and striking the post.
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A season-defining win for the Irons as they regain fourth position sitting two points above Chelsea and just one point behind second-placed Manchester United. A challenging fixture against Manchester City awaits next Sunday but given our firm display of resilience in this game, why shouldn’t we travel to the Etihad in search of three points?