Tottenham 1 West Ham 2: Hammers complete epic turnaround as Spurs’ winless run extends to five games
IF Ange Postecoglou did not know already, this is what Spursy looks like.
His Tottenham side were dominating this game by the interval, with West Ham lucky to go in at just one down having conceded Cristian Romero’s early header.
But somehow the hosts conspired to throw it away.
Jarrod Bowen’s leveller was serious misfortune on Spurs’ part, as an unlikely double deflection put the ball right in his path with only the keeper to beat.
Yet Postecoglou’s men only had themselves to blame for the goal that did for them.
James Ward-Prowse – often a Tottenham target over the years – profited from an awful backpass from Destiny Udogie to seal the three points for his team.
The away fans revelled in their hosts’ misery, taunting them with chants of “Tottenham Hotspur, it’s happening again”.
But it was no doubt what the home supporters were thinking too, seemingly after so many other self-inflicted cock-ups over the years.
The Postecoglou era looked like it may finally do away with the ‘Spursy’ tag, with his side out to make their own luck with their positive approach.
Yet this is now four defeats in five winless games, albeit amid an injury crisis.
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This loss may well have hurt the most given the opposition and the nature of how the game turned on its head.
David Moyes’ Hammers, who had just 25 per cent possession, are now just three points behind Spurs, whose ten-game undefeated streak at the start of the season seems a hazy memory now.
Tottenham had gone into this game buoyed by their 3-3 draw at Manchester City and with Romero back from a three-game ban.
They did not have to wait long to break the deadlock as the Argentine struck on just 11 minutes.
Pedro Porro, a Spanish-speaking confidant in the dressing room, teed up his mate with a fine corner which Romero attacked.
The ball looped up and found its way into the corner.
Veteran stopper Lukasz Fabianski, making his first Premier League appearance of the season in the absence of the injured Alphonse Areola, got nowhere near it.
Postecoglou was asked on Friday if he had had a word with Romero about his hot-headedness during his ban.
He said no but said that when Romero “oversteps the mark, the whole group pays a price so it’s up to him to maintain discipline”.
It felt like a parental, “I’m not angry, just very disappointed” approach, but Postecoglou was beaming like a proud dad after Romero’s opener.
Spurs should have kicked on from there as they totally dominated the first half in which Moyes’ side surrendered nearly all of the ball.
But their end product was poor, with left winger Brennan Johnson proving particularly frustrating when in good positions.
Johnson wanted a penalty shortly after the break when his header appeared to hit Vladimir Coufal’s arm, but the Czech’s limb was in a natural position and VAR did not intervene.
A minute later, West Ham hit back out of nowhere.
Mohammed Kudus cracked a speculative effort from distance which clattered into Romero.
The ball bounced off the Argentine into fellow centre-back Ben Davies at close proximity, and the Welshman could do nothing to stop it from landing at Bowen’s feet ten yards out.
Bowen, proving to be something of an away goal expert this season, was never going to pass up such good fortune and smashed it home for his 50th Irons goal.
Postecoglou has only been in England six months but already he must be sick of the sight of Bowen.
The Three Lions ace was the best player on the pitch in Postecoglou’s first match as Spurs boss, which was a 3-2 defeat to West Ham in Perth in his native Australia. Now, this.
That jolt to the system livened up the away fans and suddenly Spurs found themselves on the back foot and it looked as if West Ham might grab the next goal.
Sensing a loss of control, but also knowing his side really needed to win this game, Postecoglou took off Hojbjerg and Lo Celso with 24 minutes to go, bringing on Richarlison and Oliver Skipp.
Almost instantly, Brazilian forward Richarlison had a gilt-edged chance to put Spurs back ahead.
Porro fired in a sublime cross which the bleach-blond striker rose to meet, but somehow – and in a fitting tribute to how his Spurs career has gone to date – he planted the header wide.
Undeterred, Spurs continued to push for another goal with Porro cracking a shot at Fabianski’s near post soon after, but the Pole was up to the task.
But it was the visitors who struck next and this time, Spurs could not blame bad luck, just themselves, for the manner in which they conceded it.
Udogie has had a fine debut season but it was his fault as his weak backpass forced Vicario to rush out and push the ball straight into the path of Ward-Prowse.
The ex-Southampton man fired a left-footed shot against the post, and tapped into an empty net when the ball bounced back to him, leaving West Ham fans’ taunts ringing in Postecoglou’s ears.
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