Tottenham defeated London rivals, West Ham, securing a crucial victory in their bid to play in Europe next season.
Kurt Zouma’s own goal put Spurs ahead early and Son Heung-Min quickly doubled their lead. Before the break, said Benrahma, the Hammers had hoped but Son scored his second goal late in the game to give Antonio Conte’s men victory. Below, we have analyzed the biggest talking points from this London derby.
Son and Kane combine again
No two players have set up more goals for each other than Tottenham’s great pair, but this most recent outing marks their 38th combination and it was, without a doubt, one of their best.
Kane snatched the ball from the midway line before launching a wonderful through ball into Son’s path who is frequently dangerous when attacking from the left flank before slicing into his right side.
Despite this, the Hammers’ backline was powerless to stop them since Zouma appeared especially hesitant to engage with Son as he drew nearer to the verge of danger. For his stand-off defense, the Frenchman was promptly punished as Son’s strike bounced off of Zouma once more before soaring over the helpless Fabianski’s head.
Kane seemed to be the conduit for everything good for Spurs, who reveled in diving deep and inflicting havoc with his razor-sharp passes.
“We played quite well right from the start, particularly in the first half. I hit the post since we created so many opportunities. We’re ecstatic because it’s a huge three points ahead of the international break.”
Heung-Min Son talks to Sky Sports about his partnership with Kane: “ I basically do these runs to give myself another option. If he does not pass the ball, there will most likely be room for someone else or Harry to shoot. The friendship with Harry I’ve probably mentioned over a hundred times at the moment! It’s incredible to have this striker right beside me. I’m really upset he didn’t score today; he had a couple of chances.”
The top four race
The outcome increases the likelihood of a North London shootout for fourth place as Conte’s team now trail Arsenal by just three points. Following their victory over the Hammers, Spurs move up to sixth spot in the table although they have had one more game under their belt than the Gunners.
In contrast, defeat effectively puts an end to West Ham’s fragile prospects of qualifying for Champions League by way of the standings given they are now six points behind fourth place, despite having played two more games than Mikel Arteta’s team.
Spurs’ triumph makes the upcoming home match against Arsenal all the more exciting, a potential winner-take-all battle between two of the Premier League’s most ferocious rivals.
The European hangover of West Ham
David Moyes’ men failed to deal with the threat offered by their hosts following a 120-minute Europa League match against Sevilla on Thursday night. With only nine minutes on the clock, Zouma’s own goal put the visitors on the back foot.
When facing Spurs players, a number of West Ham’s most dependable players became noticeably sluggish who had gotten two extra days off. Even though Benrahma grabbed a goal back in the first half, the Hammers were unable to exert substantial pressure on their opponents and put Spurs under siege.
West Ham’s exhaustion was palpable as the game progressed; Spurs were free to sit on their one-goal lead with little pressure on them as the Hammers struggled to create many noteworthy opportunities.
Similar styles
Both Conte and Moyes chose to play five at the back in order to neutralize either side’s wide threat. Early on, though, it may have been to the Hammers’ detriment when a pass from central defender Craig Dawson narrowly missed winger Arthur Masuaku but Matt Doherty, his opposite number, promptly picked his pocket.
Doherty swiftly connected with Kane who fought off opponents with his strength before dribbling the ball across the goal’s face. Spurs got lucky with the way it ended up in the net before West Ham’s Polish shot-stopper was beaten by Zouma’s knee.
Spurs’ full-backs increased their hold on the game by marking West Ham’s back after another errant pass from Dawson attracted further pressure from Doherty. West Ham’s wing-backs had little influence on the majority of the game as both Masuaku and Ben Johnson were reassigned to defense. Moyes returned to a back four shortly after the former was withdrawn soon before the hour mark.
More protests at the goalposts
The same anti-oil protesters marred Everton’s thrilling victory over Newcastle in midweek
had a close resemblance to what happened at Tottenham Hotspur stadium if the stadium stewards hadn’t acted quickly enough.
Two protesters tried to tie themselves to the goal’s frame with cable ties while a break in the action as an incident was protested by the two groups of players that happened by chance as Spurs were getting ready to take a corner.
Anthony Taylor, the eagle-eyed referee, was the lone figure on the field who seemed to see the two sprint onto the turf in an attempt to convey their point.
Fortunately, they were dealt with quickly by stewards, who spent no time in removing them from the field and enabling the game to continue.
Tottenham had a good run of games in April – with only two teams now in the top half of the table (Aston Villa, ninth, and Leicester, tenth), with the last three clubs (Newcastle United, Brighton, and Brentford) all near the bottom of the table.
Spurs’ first match after the break will be against Newcastle at home on Sunday, April 3 at 4.30 p.m.
The next three games for West Ham are all in London, commencing on April 3 with Everton at home, which is their last game before meeting Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals. Between the two games, the Hammers will play Brentford on April 10 before heading to Lyon.