A GOAL from West Ham's new Portuguese signing, Dani, won this London derby at a soggy White Hart Lane last night.
The little 19 year old on loan from Sporting Lisbon for the rest of the season, applied the decisive touch just four minutes into his first start for Harry Redknapp's East End conclave of foreign legionnaires.
When Ian Walker, the Tottenham goalkeeper, instinctively deflected a Julian Dicks' volley into "the air following a corner, Dani was on the spot to head the ball into an empty net from close range as West Ham's other debut maker, Croatian centre back Slaven Bilic charged in on the goalkeeper.
Then West Ham, with seven non English men in their squad, defied a furious second half Tottenham barrage to register their third Premier League win in a row and end their rivals nine match unbeaten run.
On a sticky pitch that cut up badly, Tottenham followed a list less first half with a luckless second as Teddy Sheringham and Chris Armstrong passed up chance after chance to add to their combined 34 goal tally.
In a frantic last 20 minutes, West Ham might have added at least three more goals themselves as Northern Ireland striker Iain Dowie struck the crossbar and Tony Cottee, who was substituted for the tiring Dani, twice came within inches of finding the target.
Czech goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko was West Ham's hero when Tottenham's pressure was at its height.
Spurs manager Gerry Francis sent on his new £1.5 million winger Andy Sinton to replace Ronny Rosenthal and make his home debut with a stream of dangerous crosses.
But Miklosko bravely defied both Sheringham and Armstrong at close range while Bilic and Denmark's Marc Reiper were towers of strength in the centre of the Hammers' defiant defence.
Right to the bitter end Tottenham threatened to save the match, with Armstrong skating through the mud to again find Miklosko's giant frame in his path and Sheringham heading inches wide as he lunged in on Sintons delivery from the left.
Dani had been called off in the 66th minute after running himself into the muddy ground.
He gave Gary Mabbutt and the rest of the Spurs defenders all the problems they could handle but it was Cottee, the teenager's veteran replacement, who nearly added another seal on his side's hard earned success.
Twice he left Walker floundering with shots that passed just wide of the goal. Then he had the keeper at full stretch to brilliantly turn away a thundering drive on the turn after Dowie headed on.
Dowie, himself, nearly found reward for unstinting effort when his shot from a near impossible angle clattered against the crossbar and it provided the inspiration West Ham needed to see out a thundering battle that was fought at a blistering pace.
