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Following a goalless opening 45 minutes, second-half strikes from Emerson Royal and substitute Heung-Min Son sent Spurs climbing high into the Champions League qualification places, while the crestfallen Hammers head back to the East End with 15 matches left in which to salvage their season, starting with a crucial clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
David Moyes’ men had crossed the capital unbeaten in their last four games and, following last Saturday’s dogged draw against Chelsea, the Scot made just a couple of switches with Tomáš Souček and Flynn Downes coming in for the injured Lucas Paquetá (shoulder) and substitute Saïd Benrahma, who was joined on the bench by rookie Kaelan Casey.
And despite fielding that defensive-looking line-up, 18th-placed West Ham had looked unperturbed by the gap of 13 places and 13 points that separated the two teams as they started firmly on the front foot.
With less than a minute on the clock, Souček’s right-wing cross was met by Jarrod Bowen, whose 18-yarder flew inches wide and, after forcing the first corner of the afternoon, Oliver Skipp was then booked by referee Michael Oliver for sliding through Michail Antonio on the halfway line but gradually all that early momentum faded and died.
Certainly, it had not been a good week for Spurs who having fallen to a forlorn 4-1 defeat at Leicester City last weekend, then lost 1-0 to AC Milan in Italy in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday evening.
And with Antonio Conte remaining in his homeland recuperating from gallbladder surgery, the hosts were shepherded by the Italian’s right-hand man Cristian Stellini and made a trio of changes upon their return to London.
Ben Davies, Richarlison and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg replaced substitutes Son, Pape Matar Sarr and Ivan Perisic but apart from a vociferous shout for handball against Thilo Kehrer that was cleared by Video Assistant Referee David Coote, Spurs barely threatened visiting keeper Łukasz Fabiańskl during the opening half hour.
Indeed, with Tottenham reduced to trying their luck from outside the area, the Hammers resolute rearguard were putting their bodies on the line to charge down anything and everything that the hosts attempted from range, while at the other end, the sliding Souček was just a stud from connecting with Bowen’s low ball into the danger zone.
On 36 minutes, Højbjerg finally forced Fabiański into his first meaningful action of the encounter, albeit the Polish keeper had the low 25-yarder covered from the moment it left the Danish midfielder’s boot, and in the dying moments of a disjointed opening period, Richarlison saw his angled effort diverted aside before Clement Lenglet nodded the consequent corner over the bar.
With both sides having struggled to gain any real foothold on the contest during an uncertain, unsure, unsteady initial 45 minutes, it was no real surprise to see the first half end goalless.
But the stalemate could have been broken shortly after the restart, when Nayef Aguerd lost out to Dejan Kulusevski, whose cutback towards the edge of the area was fired straight into Fabiański’s gloves by Richarlison.
Moments later, Harry Kane finally had his first chance of a hitherto anonymous afternoon but he scuffed his volley across the face of goal and, shortly afterwards, Kulusevski’s cross towards the penalty spot was just too high for the Spurs’ skipper.
Tottenham had certainly emerged for the second period in a far more energetic mood than they had departed and on 56 minutes they broke the deadlock with a move that simply and slickly sliced through the Hammers hitherto defiant defence.
After collecting midway inside his own half, Højbjerg’s threaded pass sent Davies racing forward and timing his run to perfection, the supporting Royal sent a low 15-yarder into the bottom left-hand corner, leaving the flat-footed and helplessly-exposed figure of Fabianski to pick the Brazilian’s second goal of the campaign out of the net.
In reply, the breaking Bowen almost conjured up an instant equaliser but Fraser Forster advanced from his line to beat the final shot aside, while at the other end Fabiański fisted Kulusevski’s vicious volley high into the north London night.
Antonio’s disdain at seeing his side losing their grip on the game manifested itself in a yellow card for sliding through Kane and, with the Hammers striker now walking a disciplinary tightrope, his manager opted to withdraw his frustrated forward.
With Son already on for Richarlison, Moyes shuffled his pack with the introduction of Benrahma and Danny Ings for Antonio and Downes on 72 minutes.
But within seconds of stepping from the dug-out, the newly-arrived duo could only look on in horror as Kane got the better of Ogbonna in a spot of aerial ball-juggling before inviting substitute Son to sprint behind Kehrer.
Planting a low 12-yarder beyond the lone-figure of Fabianski, the South Korean substitute claimed his ninth goal of the campaign to secure the victory that sends Spurs into those heady heights of fourth spot, while the Hammers return to the East End knowing they must fell Forest at London Stadium in six days’ time (3pm).
Tottenham: Forster, Dier, Romero, Lenglet (Perisic 77), Skipp (Sarr 89), Højbjerg, Royal, Davies, Kulusevski (Moura 89), Richarlison (Son 67), Kane. Unused subs: Austin, Sanchez, Danjuma, Porro, Tanganga.
West Ham: Fabiański, Ogbonna (Johnson 81), Aguerd, Kehrer, Rice, Souček, Downes (Benrahma 72), Coufal, Emerson (Fornals 81), Bowen, Antonio (Ings 72). Unused subs: Areola, Cresswell, Scamacca, Lanzini, Casey.
Booked: Skipp (9), Antonio (62), Perisic (90+2).
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Attendance: 61,476.
