Aaron Lennon helped maintain Tottenham's 100 per cent start to the new season as Spurs beat West Ham 2-1.
Rivals beat West Ham following Jekyll and Hyde display from Cole
Aaron Lennon helped maintain Tottenham Hotspur's 100 per cent start to the new Premier League season as his late strike handed Spurs a 2-1 win over London rivals West Ham United on Sunday.
A flash of brilliance by Carlton Cole followed by a moment of madness from the Hammers striker saw the scoreline delicately poised until Lennon fired home left-footed with 11 minutes remaining.
England international Cole broke the deadlock in the second half with a sensational effort that left Tottenham goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini with not a prayer.
But then just five minutes later Cole turned provider for the opposition as his perplexing pass-back fell straight to Jermain Defoe's feet, allowing the in-form attacker to net his fourth league goal of the term.
And the comeback was complete in the latter stages as Lennon cut in from the right before curling a wonderful effort into the far corner to secure a third win in as many games for Spurs.
Happy Harry
Since leaving West Ham, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has an impressive record of getting results at Upton Park - but he does not usually need help from his former club.
Redknapp has played down suggestions of challenging for the top four but they now have three wins from three and the initial signs pointed to a more comfortable win against Gianfranco Zola's men after defeating Liverpool and Hull.
Spurs enjoyed the majority of possession and looked dangerous going forward, with Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green kept busy in the early stages when Tom Huddlestone launched a fearsome drive towards the near post.
Luka Modric forced Green into a save at the near post and went wide, with the Croatia playmaker also setting up the chance that saw Ledley King hit the crossbar on the half-hour mark.
Luis Jimenez was booked for a foul on Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the build-up, with Modric whipping over the free-kick and King's looping header bouncing off the woodwork.
Sebastien Bassong also went wide from another Modric free-kick - but it was not entirely one-way traffic and West Ham had the clearer chances in the first half even if they had less of the ball.
Zola is desperate to buy another striker before the transfer window closes but a shortage in attack is bringing the best out of Cole going forward - even if he was guilty of a blunder for the equaliser.
He volleyed over early on after chasing down a long pass and juggling the ball like he did when playing for England against Holland.
When Spector threaded a ball through and Jimenez intelligently dummied, Cole ran through and saw Cudicini block his finish.
Scrambling
Cudicini had already been called into action when Scott Parker latched onto a poor clearance and struck a 35-yard volley that had the Italian shot-stopper scrambling across his goal-line to save.
The Hammers had two huge changes just before the break. King bravely blocked from Jack Collison's shot after Cole held the ball up and pulled it back for the Wales midfielder.
Then Junior Stanislas was sent down the left with a 60-yard pass from James Collins and the youngster carried the ball into the area - but his dangerous cross was just too far in front of Cole.
Cole broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half with his unstoppable volley.
Despite his height, Jimenez managed to get his head on the ball, cushioning it back to Cole 25 yards out. The 25-year-old took a touch before swinging with left and sending his effort crashing past Cudicini.
But the Hammers striker went from hero to villain in the space of five minutes. There was no danger when held the ball up near the halfway line but his pass backwards turned into a perfect through-ball for Defoe.
The former Hammers striker accepted the invitation and lashed past Green for his sixth goal in four games this season for club and country.
Modric almost gave Spurs the lead shortly after but headed just wide when Lennon found him at the far post, while the hosts felt they should have had a penalty when Assou-Ekotto hauled down Jimenez.
Defoe, in turn, thought he should have had a spot-kick when Julien Faubert challenged him - but referee Mark Clattenburg waved play on again.
Cole, looking to atone for his mistake, cut inside and went just wide with his shot.
Lennon's winning goal came with 11 minutes remaining. Spector lost his footing when there was little danger apparent, with Lennon nipping in and unleashing a drive into the far corner.
| West Ham United |
Team Statistics |
Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
6 |
| 9 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 5 |
Blocked Shots |
9 |
| 4 |
Corners |
8 |
| 16 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 76.4 |
Passing Success |
78.7 |
| 19 |
Tackles |
24 |
| 68.4 |
Tackles Success |
83.3 |
| 47.5 |
Possession |
52.5 |
| 43.5 |
Territorial Advantage |
56.5 |
|
