Tottenham Hotspur defeated West Ham United 2-0 in the Premier League (PL), extending their unbeaten record in H2Hs against the Hammers to four matches.
As well as bragging rights, there was plenty of added motivation for both teams.
Spurs had the opportunity to overtake Newcastle United and enter the top four, while West Ham needed a response after the PL’s bottom three all winning for the first time since 2015 saw them drop into the relegation zone.
Tomáš Souček was very busy in the early exchanges, and found Jarrod Bowen with a ball that the forward flashed marginally wide of Fraser Forster’s post in the opening minute.
Having already linked up with Souček, Bowen delivered a ball that came agonisingly close to finding the midfielder’s outstretched boot.
Spurs took greater control in the last quarter-hour of the half but struggled to trouble Łukasz Fabiański until the final moments before the break, when Harry Kane’s ball in behind released Richarlison, whose shot from a tight angle was saved before Clément Lenglet headed onto the roof of the net from the ensuing corner.
The Hammers endured a slow start to the second period and made two mistakes, but were let off by harmless attempts from Richarlison and Kane.
It was eventually Spurs’ two wing-backs who combined to open the scoring, with Ben Davies racing forward to meet Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and slip through Emerson Royal, who nonchalantly scored his second goal of the season.
Bowen almost provided an instant response, but Fraser Forster was equal to his effort and having been left out of the starting lineup for the first time since September, Son Heung-min doubled Spurs’ lead just four minutes after his introduction.
Saïd Benrahma comfortably missed the target from a promising opening with David Moyes’ side failing to muster any real response, as Spurs recovered from back-to-back defeats to secure a derby win that lifts them into the top four.
Meanwhile, West Ham’s four-game unbeaten run in all competitions comes to an end, leaving the Hammers 18th in the PL table.
