Cracks appear in Tottenham’s title dreams after West Ham blow
Spurs’ performances this season have drawn admiration with Pochettino credited with adding steel to a side that has so often flattered to deceive. However, the Spurs’ boss felt his side appeared to be a little overwelmed.
“I think that we didn’t start the game in a good way. We made some mistakes and the team didn’t feel free to play the way they play. West Ham is a strong, physical team which made it difficult and the conditions favoured them because the pitch wasn’t good.
“We need to be positive and it is important to be ready for Saturday. When you lose you can blame that the players are tired or whatever but the reality is that it was just a bad night for us to play the way we play tonight.
“The players are sad and it is true that we are very motivated and excited to stay towards the top of the table. I feel proud of them as the effort was fantastic,” he added.
A seventh minute header from Michail Antonio settled the outcome. Slaven Bilic’s side controlled the first half impressively and when Tottenham finally roused themselves, stood firm.
With Leicester and Arsenal both faltering this week, this was the perfect time for Pochettino’s side to deliver a powerful statement, the kind of result that would fire their belief ahead the meeting with Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime. Instead both teams will head into the north London derby riven with doubt.
West Ham, meanwhile, head into the final weeks of the season having forced their way into the thick of the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League. They now sit just one point behind Manchester City.
The pattern of the game was set in the opening moments when Bilic’s men showed a much greater appetite to gain a foothold in the game while Tottenham looked disjointed and overwhelmed by the urgency displayed by their opponents. Within seven minutes, that imbalance had been translated into a goal.
A wasteful pass by Chadli conceded a corner on Tottenham’s left, handing Dimitri Payet the first opportunity to showcase his talents with a deadball that have become such a feature of West Ham’s season so far. The France international duly obliged, whipping in a cross towards the near post where Antonio got ahead of Chadli to direct a powerful header inside Hugo Lloris’ unguarded near post. The decision not to post a defender at the post proved costly with the goalkeeper unable to push the ball away despite getting a full hand on the header and an already testing evening for Spurs became even more challenging.
Disappointingly for a team with title ambitions, Tottenham failed to muster an immediate response, nor did they ever look like recovering during the remainder of the half. Indeed, West Ham would have deservedly been two-up after 16 minutes had Lloris not managed to get across his goal in time to divert Mark Noble’s rising shot away with an acrobatic save.
Unable to establish a foothold in the game, Tottenham’s play became increasingly scrappy with Ryan Mason guilty of a number of misplaced passes while Kieran Trippier’s failure to control a routine ball betrayed the anxiety amongst Pochettino’s players.
That, though, did not explain West Ham’s superiority. Bilic’s side have grown in confidence during a run that has brought just two defeats in their last 14 league games and were playing with a vigour and determination that simply overwhelmed Tottenham to the extent Pochettino’s side had every reason to be grateful to reach the interval trailing by just the one goal.
Harry Kane toiled alone up front, smothered by the attentions of centre-backs James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna while behind the England striker, Chadli, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen made little impression on the game during the opening 45 minutes.
It was clear Pochettino would have to coax a more convincing display out of his players in the second period and the start of the half offered signs of promise for the visitors. A well worked move down the right ended with Lamela heading wide from Trippier’s cross moments before Mason sent a long range shot wide.
The significance of the game appeared to be finally sinking in for the Tottenham players. Kane was denied at the last moment after Adrian could only parry Toby Alderweireld’s shot and the forward should have done better than slice wide after being picked out by Eriksen’s cross.
Tottenham’s efforts became more frantic but the prospect of an equaliser remained remote with Bilic’s side as convincing in their second half defensive efforts as they had going forward in the first.
Pochettino’s side will get a second chance to impose themselves on the title race on Saturday. They can’t afford to pass that one up.
Adrian 6; Kouyate 7, Collins 8 (Oxford 66,6), Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7; Antonio 8, Obiang 8, Noble 9, Payet 7; Lanzini 7 (Sakho 84,6); Emenike 7 (Carroll 73, 6).
Lloris 6; Trippier 5, Alderweireld 7, Wimmer 6 (Carroll 77), Davies 6; Dier 6, Mason 5; Lamela 5 (Son 68, 6), Eriksen 6, Chadli 4 (Alli 62,6) ; Kane 6.
A Marriner
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