Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham: Second-half fightback sees Hammers hand London rivals fourth defeat in five

West Ham United came from behind to take advantage of two defensive errors and win 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to leave Spurs without a win in five.

The result looked highly unlikely when Ange Postecoglou’s side started the game at breakneck speed, putting The Hammers on the ropes with wave after waves of attacks. And the goal when it came was from a set-piece, with Cristian Romero rising between five West Ham defenders to head home a whipped Pedro Porro corner.

Spurs could and should have added to their lead throughout the half, but lacked precision with the final ball, even with their closest effort, when a Brennan Johnson cross was turned onto his own post by Kurt Zouma.

There was still hope for West Ham however, especially with the score at 1-0, and they got the rewards for staying in the game as Tottenham struggled to maintain their level after the interval.

A double deflection saw Jarrod Bowen played in to equalise with his ninth goal of the season. And James Ward-Prowse won it for the visitors following a sloppy Destiny Udogie back-pass, with Ward-Prowse’s initial effort coming back to him off the post to finish into an empty net.

The result leaves David Moyes’ side just three points off Spurs, who have now picked up just one point out of the last possible 15.

A lot of the chat after this game will be that Postecoglou needs to adjust his style after two defensive errors undid Tottenham.

But in truth the football from Spurs in that first half was so good that they should have been out of sight by the break. A lack of a ruthless edge in the final third saw them fail to take advantage of a host of openings, and such an injury-hit squad was always likely to struggle to keep up the momentum for a full 90 minutes, and so it proved.

The Spurs boss spoke ahead of the game about how it was in the attack where his team have the most room for improvement, and he will have been extremely disappointed to see his team back up that view - with Brennan Johnson, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Son Heung-Min particularly disappointing.

Even as they faded in the second half Spurs should still have scored, with Richarlison missing a golden headed chance. But it was that first half that the Tottenham staff will look back at as the biggest missed opportunity to return to winning ways.

West Ham’s in-form forward was a constant threat on the break for his side, putting in a huge shift to keep the Spurs defenders on their toes.

He took his chance with aplomb when the ball fell to him in the second half, and it was his run that forced Vicario into a clearing save that gave Ward-Prowse the opportunity for the winner.

Only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have scored more goals than the West Ham man this season.

Tottenham: Vicario 7; Porro 9, Davies 6, Romero 7, Udogie 6; Bissouma 7, Hojbjerg 4, Lo Celso 6; Johnson 4, Kulusevski 6, Son 5. Subs: Skipp 5, Richarlison 5, Sarr 6, Gil 5, Veliz 5.

West Ham: Fabianski 8; Coufal 8, Aguerd 7, Zouma 8, Emerson 8; Álvarez 7; Kudus 9, Ward-Prowse 9, Soucek 7, Paqueta 7; Bowen 9. Subs: Fornals 6.

Porro’s out-swinging corner is a peach, and Romero rises high in the box between two West Ham defenders to send a brilliant header into the top corner. It’s 1-0 to the home side and it was definitely coming.

Bissouma produces two separate bits of skill that draw oohs from the home fans as Spurs pour forward, and the ball is worked to Johnson on the left. His low effort doesn’t make it past the covering defender Zouma, but the West Ham man almost turns it into his own net, with the ball crashing off the upright and behind.

A double deflection off a Kudus shot sees Davies inadvertently play Bowen clean through and he powers a finish into the back of the net to continue his extraordinary scoring form. Game on!

Richarlison climbs well as he backs up to reach a wicked Porro cross. It’s a terrific chance and he should score, but he sends his header narrowly wide.

Oh my word, West Ham have the lead out of nothing! A poor back-pass from Udogie plays Bowen in. Vicario makes an outstanding save sprawling out, but Davies slips to leave Ward-Prowse with an open goal to aim for. He hits the post, but the ball rebounds straight back to him and he turns into an empty net. 2-1 to West Ham. What a turnaround!

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