Tottenham Hotspur 2 West Ham United 0
Once again it was impossible not to feel that there is more to come from Tottenham, even though they got the job done in the end. It was a slog for long spells and although they were entitled to argue that they shaded this low-key London derby, they only ended their barren run thanks to a welcome slice of luck, Tomas Soucek’s unfortunate own goal midway through the second half settling a tight game and deepening West Ham’s relegation fears.
West Ham had defended assertively before Soucek’s aberration, maintaining a solid shape and keeping their neighbours at arm’s length for much of the contest. There were few chances and there were times when it was impossible not to feel Spurs are a long way from developing a convincing attacking identity under José Mourinho, especially with Harry Kane short of fitness after six months out.
Class is permanent, though, and Kane had the final say in the end, sealing Spurs’s first win in eight with a breakaway goal in the closing stages. West Ham had not played badly but they lacked a cutting edge and have lost their first two matches since their restart. They have not scored in either defeat and are only above the bottom three thanks to their superior goal difference over 18th-placed Bournemouth.
It was another game when both sides spent the early stages grasping for match sharpness. The rustiness was evident when Kane, desperate for a feel of the ball, watched a long pass from Ben Davies sail sadly over his head. There were plenty of those aimless punts from Spurs and they were not much better when they looked to play along the ground, not least when Moussa Sissoko strode forward, assessed his options, kicked the turf and watched the ball trickle to a claret and blue shirt.
Admittedly West Ham had more presence with Declan Rice free from centre-back duties, screening efficiently and putting out fires in front of the back four. Moyes wanted to bolt the door after Saturday’s flimsy defeat to Wolves and he picked a side high on aggression and low on flair, bolting the door by dropping Felipe Anderson and moving Rice into a tough, disciplined midfield with Mark Noble and Soucek.
Not that it was all about containment from the visitors, who went close in the first minute when Michail Antonio muscled Noble into a promising position in the Spurs area. There were some bright early moments from West Ham, with Jarrod Bowen’s neat footwork catching the eye on the right, and times when Antonio’s strength unsettled Eric Dier and Davinson Sánchez.
Spurs rarely looked comfortable when West Ham put bodies behind the ball. The home side looked too slow, too laboured, even with Giovani Lo Celso trying to quicken the pace in midfield and Lucas Moura testing Lukasz Fabianski’s reflexes with a long-range effort. Dele Alli’s flicks and tricks were not coming off and there was no end product when West Ham were pulled apart on the right, Serge Aurier’s cutback blocked by Issa Diop.
Even the technology was conspiring against Spurs, who thought they were in front on the stroke of half-time, Son Heung-min collecting a clever pass from Lo Celso before dipping past Ryan Fredericks and drilling a low shot past Fabianski. Goal music pumped around the deserted stadium until a VAR review showed the forward had strayed just offside.
At least Spurs had finished the half strongly, threatening again when Lucas jabbed a good chance wide. West Ham, their early zip ebbing away, had retreated and were conceding possession with increasing regularity. Noble was one of the worst culprits, hard though he tried, and Spurs had another sniff early in the second half, Fabianski saving from Kane at his near post.
That was more encouraging from Kane, who would also bend a shot just over the bar, though there was another worrying sign when he received a booking after catching Fabián Balbuena with a high foot. It was cumbersome again from the England captain and, watching him stretch in an attempt to block a routine clearance from Balbuena, it was hard not to assume that it will be a while before we see the Kane of old.
West Ham needed to work out that Spurs were nothing special in attack. With a touch more conviction, the game was there for the taking. Spurs have wobbled at the back all season and they should have fallen behind when Bowen produced an inviting cross, only for the unmarked Pablo Fornals to drag a poor shot wide from 12 yards.
After Soucek’s own goal following a corner, West Ham searched in vain for an equaliser. Bowen hit a post but Kane decided it. – Guardian
