Tottenham 2 West Ham 0:TOTTENHAM SUPPORTERS found it easy to ignore the chants of "lasagne" that emanated from the away section. They were being cruelly reminded of how their side, stricken by food poisoning, were stopped by West Ham from qualifying for the Champions League three years ago but could tell even from an occasional glance of the match in front of them how much has changed since then.
Spurs, along with their European ambitions, are now in rude health. Victory here moved the hosts back into the much coveted top four where they could remain should Aston Villa fail to beat Liverpool this evening.
That would be ample reward for a side that has reacted to the shock of losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 at this ground this month in wholly impressive style. It is now three wins and one draw for Spurs in their past four matches, with this arguably their most dominant display.
They controlled proceedings from the outset. Indeed, the only angst for the majority in attendance was that having taken an early lead, the men in white left it until the closing stages to make victory secure.
The decisive goal was, however, worth waiting for as Jermain Defoe thrashed an unstoppable right-footed drive past Robert Green after the West Ham goalkeeper parried his initial effort.
Defoe was one of four changes Harry Redknapp made to the side that drew with Fulham on Saturday. Ledley King made his first start for Spurs since November 7th, while Luka Modric also returned to the team having recovered from a fractured fibula against Birmingham in August.
There may have been doubts about the Croatian’s fitness but he looked sharp and inventive throughout and eased concerns about his condition by scoring after just 11 minutes with a low, close-range drive following a quick exchange of passes between Aaron Lennon and Defoe.
King was impressive and that Spurs can add a player of his quality to their team at a point in the season when fatigue may become a problem only adds to the sense this may finally be the season when then join Europe’s elite.
“There’s no reason we can’t stay in the top four,” said Redknapp. “It’s going to be difficult to do but it’s not impossible. We’ve got a strong squad and they, like me, believe we can do well this season.”
That was a sentiment shared by his counterpart, Gianfranco Zola, who even went as far as to suggest Spurs could become involved in the title race. The Italian, however, must remain focused on the other end of the table. His side remain just outside the bottom three but only by a point and must now also contend with the possibility of being without Scott Parker and Herita Illunga for the visit Wolves on January 10th.
The pair both suffered hamstring injuries in the early stages of this match with the strain sustained by Parker after nine minutes proving particularly pivotal. The midfielder’s inability to run as he waited to be substituted created the space for Modric to run into for his goal. Illunga left the field himself on 19 minutes but may have taken some comfort from his substitution, such was his inability to deal with the piercing runs of Aaron Lennon.
TOTTENHAM: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto (Bale 87), Lennon (Jenas 89), Palacios, Huddlestone, Modric (Kranjcar 83), Crouch, Defoe. Subs Not Used: Alnwick, Hutton, Keane, Bassong. Booked: Corluka, Defoe. Goals: Modric 11, Defoe 81.
WEST HAM: Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga (Spector 19), Collison (Stanislas 79), Behrami, Kovac, Parker (Jimenez 12), Diamanti, Franco. Subs Not Used: Stech, Da Costa, Nouble, Payne. Booked: Franco, Diamanti, Kovac.
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
