Spurs secure first victory at West Ham’s home ground since 2019 after Souček red card changes game dynamics.
London, England – Tottenham Hotspur defeated West Ham United 3-0 in Saturday’s Premier League London derby, ending a five-year winless streak at the London Stadium with goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and Micky van de Ven.
First Half Had West Ham Looking the Better Side
For the opening 45 minutes, West Ham actually looked like they might finally get one over on their London rivals. Mohammed Kudus was getting under the skin of the visiting supporters, you could hear the boos every time he touched the ball, while pulling the strings for most of the hosts’ best moments.
Lucas Paquetá probably should have put West Ham ahead when his curling effort drifted just wide of Guglielmo Vicario’s post. It was one of those shots that looked destined for the bottom corner until it wasn’t. You could almost see the frustration on the Brazilian’s face as it curled away.
Tottenham thought they’d nicked an opener when Cristian Romero headed home from a corner, but referee Simon Hooper spotted a foul by van de Ven in the buildup. Ange Postecoglou wasn’t having any of it on the touchline, though the replay seemed to suggest Hooper got it right.
“The first half was quite even, but we knew we had to be patient,” Postecoglou said afterward, though that may have been diplomatic given how his side struggled to get going. “West Ham started well at home, which we expected.”
Everything Changed After the Break
Maybe it was whatever Postecoglou said at halftime, or perhaps West Ham just ran out of steam. Either way, Tottenham looked like a completely different team when they came back out.
Just two minutes in, Pape Matar Sarr was nodding home from close range after a bit of pinball in the West Ham box. Pedro Porro’s cross from the right caused all sorts of chaos, and Sarr was in the right place when it mattered. Sometimes football is that simple.
That goal seemed to knock the wind out of West Ham’s sails, though Jarrod Bowen tried his best to keep things interesting. His pace was causing problems down the flanks, but Vicario looked solid enough dealing with whatever came his way.
The Red Card That Killed the Game
Here’s where things get a bit controversial. Tomáš Souček’s sending-off in the 58th minute felt harsh to some, though referee Hooper clearly saw something he didn’t like in that challenge on João Palhinha. The Czech midfielder went in studs-up, which these days is almost always going to be a red card.
“The sending off was the turning point,” admitted West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. “Playing with ten men against Tottenham makes it very difficult to get back into the game.”
What happened next was almost inevitable. Lucas Bergvall stepped up to the resulting free-kick and somehow managed to loop a header over Łukasz Fabiański that seemed to surprise everyone in the stadium, including probably Bergvall himself.
Van de Ven Puts the Cherry on Top
Micky van de Ven wrapped things up in the 64th minute with what was probably the pick of the goals. The Dutch defender’s finish into the bottom corner came after some lovely buildup involving Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson, the kind of move that makes you think Postecoglou’s tactics might actually be clicking.
Those 3,000 traveling Tottenham fans certainly thought so. The “olé” chants started almost immediately, and you can’t really blame them given how rarely they’ve had something to celebrate at this ground.
This was only Tottenham’s second win here since West Ham moved to the London Stadium. That previous victory back in November 2019 feels like a lifetime ago now.
What Does This Actually Mean?
Look, it’s still early days, but this result might suggest Tottenham are starting to figure things out under Postecoglou. Three wins in four Premier League games isn’t exactly title-winning form, but it’s certainly better than what we’ve seen from them in recent seasons at this stage.
West Ham, on the other hand, appear to be heading in the wrong direction. Lopetegui’s honeymoon period seems to be over rather quickly, just one win in their last five matches across all competitions is the kind of form that gets managers in trouble.
Whether Bergvall’s impact from the bench actually demonstrates “improved squad depth” or was just good timing is probably something we’ll only know as the season progresses. Same goes for whether this victory really sends any kind of “message” to rivals.
What we can say is that Tottenham looked much more comfortable once they had the numerical advantage. Whether they can replicate this kind of performance against eleven men remains to be seen.
