Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance61,476.
Report and free match highlights as Tottenham ease to 2-0 home win over West Ham; second-half goals from Emerson Royal and Heung-Min Son move Spurs above Newcastle and into fourth place in the Premier League; Hammers remain 18th, one point behind 17th-placed Bournemouth
Monday 20 February 2023 06:00, UK
Tottenham moved into the top four of the Premier League with a routine 2-0 home win over West Ham that leaves their rivals in the bottom three.
Meetings between these two are often feisty affairs, but the first half was played out amid a flat atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with both sides lacking inspiration.
But as they have been on so many occasions this season, Spurs were a much-improved outfit in the second period and eased their way to victory thanks to goals from Emerson Royal and Heung-Min Son.
The result was a welcome one for Spurs, who had lost their last two matches in all competitions and have manager Antonio Conte recuperating from surgery in Italy, while West Ham had to endure mocking chants from the home fans after a hugely disappointing performance that only adds to their relegation fears.
Tottenham have never seemed far from crisis during a strange season that has seen fans protest against the owners, while an expiring contract and surgery have clouded Conte’s future, but they once again find themselves in the Champions League qualification places.
Newcastle’s stuttering form has been key, with the Magpies now fifth, but Spurs - and caretaker manager Cristian Stellini, who has now won all three games he has taken charge of - deserve praise after comfortably taking care of business against West Ham.
David Moyes spoke optimistically before kick-off of the momentum a four-game unbeaten run had generated for his side, but their performance told a different story, with just one shot on target across 90 minutes against a Spurs side coming off back-to-back defeats at Leicester last weekend (when Conte temporarily returned) and AC Milan in midweek.
West Ham’s best chance of the game came just a minute into the contest when Jarrod Bowen flashed a volley just wide of Fraser Forster’s goal from the edge of the box.
But the Hammers were lucky to avoid conceding a penalty in the 14th minute when - for the second game in succession - the officials failed to punish a clear handball in their area.
Thilo Kehrer was the lucky defender on this occasion, with the Germany international getting away with slapping down the ball as Richarlison tried to turn, and the Brazilian was then denied a goal on his first start since the World Cup as Lukasz Fabianski blocked his effort from a tight angle.
Cristian Romero then headed just over as a drab first half drew to a close, but Spurs showed far more intent after half-time, with Richarlison again having a shot saved before Harry Kane uncharacteristically blasted wide after Declan Rice’s error.
Spurs’ goal eventually came from an unlikely source, with Ben Davies latching onto Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s excellent pass to square for Emerson, who slid his shot past Fabianski with impeccable composure (56).
Son - who had been dropped to the bench - then came on to score the second after being set up by Kane (72), with Spurs easily seeing out what remained of the game to give themselves a much-needed win ahead of another huge London derby next weekend at home to Chelsea, live on Sky Sports.
Moyes put West Ham's defeat down to defensive errors and urged his players to show they are "up for the fight" against relegation.
"We didn't defend well enough on a couple of occasions and gave them too much encouragement at the start of the second half," said Moyes. "We had a bit of control but we played it square and back which let Tottenham come on.
"I think we gave them encouragement. We made a couple of really poor defensive mistakes for goals. At this level, we can't afford it."
West Ham's next game is at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and Moyes admitted the fixture is "very big" given his side's predicament.
The Hammers are now one point from safety with 15 matches still to play, but Moyes said of his players: "They've been here before so I think a lot of them know how to handle it.
"I'll be looking to see the colour of the players' eyes in the next week. You can imagine what the colour of mine will be."
When asked what the key to avoiding relegation will be, the West Ham boss said: "Our results, not their results.
"We keep going. We've been feeling a bit better about our performances. They've been challenged, now let's see who's up for the fight."
Spurs assistant Cristian Stellini said: "It was really difficult in the first half because it was a game that we needed players that fight a lot. We chose this type of team for this type of game and we play well.
"In the second half when our energy was bigger than them, we produced many situations to score."
Stellini felt the hosts should have had a penalty in the first half when the ball struck Thilo Kehrer's hand, saying: "It was a clear penalty and the VAR has to make a decision. I think they made the wrong decision, I didn't understand."
On Son, he said: "He stayed on the bench, and...then it was the moment for Sonny. With space Sonny is really an amazing player, and we tried to use him in this way, and it was a good idea. Sonny has a goal, so we are happy for him.
"He has to stay calm and wait for his best performance, because he has to fit well. At the moment he is not 100 per cent so we have to manage him."
Regarding Conte, he added: "He sent some texts to the bench, and they transfer to me his idea, and we can talk about the game. Antonio is good, he's fine, and he can be involved in the game."
West Ham have spent more than £50m on new strikers this season yet still found themselves starting Michail Antonio - now nearly 33 and with just two Premier League goals to his name this season - as their lone front man.
Admittedly Gianluca Scamacca was only fit enough for the bench after a knee injury, but the continued reluctance to start £15m January signing Danny Ings is curious.
The former Aston Villa striker was only called upon at Tottenham once the hosts had gone two goals ahead, and even then he came on in place of Antonio, rather than to partner him up front.
Antonio recorded no shots, no touches in the box and just two final-third entries during his 72 minutes of action, and his performance was indicative of a West Ham side that showed very little ambition.
The approach was strange given Spurs had only three wins in their last seven games, and the hosts’ tepid first-half display may leave Moyes with regrets that he did not instruct his side to show more ambition against their London rivals.
Tottenham's next game is a huge one, with London rivals Chelsea visiting north London on Sunday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 1.30pm.
Antonio Conte's side then travel to Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Wednesday March 1; kick-off 7.55pm.
West Ham are next in action at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday; kick-off 3pm. David Moyes' side then go to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in the FA Cup on Wednesday March 1; kick-off 7.45pm.
