LONDON - West Ham United claimed fourth spot in the Premier League as goals early in each half by Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard earned them a nervy 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Their seventh win in their last nine league games moved West Ham two points above Chelsea in their mounting challenge for a Champions League spot while Tottenham have slumped to ninth.
Antonio gave West Ham the perfect start when he fired past Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris in the fifth minute and Lingard doubled West Ham's lead two minutes after the break. But Tottenham, with Gareth Bale on as a second half substitute, were given a lifeline when Lucas Moura headed in Bale's corner and they laid siege to the West Ham goal.
Bale lashed a shot against the crossbar and West Ham had another lucky escape in stoppage time as Vladimír Coufal's clearance deflected back off Son Heung-min and struck the post. Tottenham had 19 goal attempts to the four of West Ham but were unable to prevent a fifth defeat in six league games as the pressure begins to mount on José Mourinho.
While the closing stages were nervy for West Ham, they once again showed that they are equipped to maintain their unlikely bid for the top four finish having flirted with relegation last season. Manager David Moyes, who returned for a second spell as West Ham manager when he replaced Manuel Pellegrini in Dec. 2019, has forged a steely mentality in his squad and they showed great resolve to withstand Tottenham's late pressure.
"It is a great result for us," Moyes, who claimed a first win over Mourinho in 16 attempts, said. "Today we felt it was a big, big task. For us to get a result and keep our momentum going is really good."
Mourinho played down talk of a crisis, saying his side's performance had warranted more.
"I feel sad, obviously. I feel the result should have been a different one from what we played especially in the second half," the Portuguese said.
Antonio typifies West Ham's spirit and he produced a trademark poacher's goal when Jarrod Bowen's cross caused panic in the Spurs defense and the striker reacted well to fire past Spurs keeper Lloris. It was his 42nd Premier League goal for West Ham, each from inside the penalty area.
ANTONIO!
West Ham lead at halftime thanks to this early strike. #MyPLMorniingCatch the rest of #WHUTOT on @peacocktv! pic.twitter.com/rrRxtodo92
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 21, 2021
West Ham wasted a chance soon after when Lingard opted to try and pass to Antonio rather than shoot himself. At the other end Harry Kane fired over after a jinking run by Érik Lamela, while home keeper Łukasz Fabiański made two decent saves to deny Lamela and Kane.
Mourinho sent on Bale for Lamela at halftime but before he had touched the ball West Ham struck again, Lingard rifling home a shot after linking up with Pablo Fornals. The goal was initially flagged as offside but a VAR check allowed it.
It is February 21, 2021 and West Ham United are TOP FOUR.
Jesse Lingard's goal sealed the deal today against Tottenham! #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/ujM93hqnbT— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 21, 2021
From then on it was all Spurs with Bale showing glimpses of the brilliance that he regularly demonstrated during his first spell at Tottenham before moving to Real Madrid. The Welshman whipped in a corner for Moura to head home and he was a constant menace as Spurs swarmed in attack.
He also produced some silky touches down the right and when Kane picked him out on the edge of the area, his thunderous shot rattled the crossbar. But West Ham rode their luck and hung on to a victory that left them nine points above their London rivals, heaping pressure on Mourinho whose side are stuck in a rut.
West Ham Vs. Tottenham | Full Match Highlights (02/21/2021)
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
