Tottenham Hotspur managed to make it four wins in a row in the Premier League as they went past West Ham United in a tight contest by one goal to nil. On another day, the result could have been reversed as the Hammers had enough chances to win or at least draw the game. Spurs were able to win the hard way even though they haven’t been playing well of late.
The Hammers defended bravely but conceded late in the first half through Erik Lamela’s header. Marko Arnautovic came close on various occasions, but he was denied by Hugo Lloris who was a rock in goal. There is still room for improvement for Pochettino and his men, but they would take three points like this all day long. Here is how Spurs player fared in this tight contest.
Hugo Lloris 8
The star of the day as he denied Arnautovic thrice from good goalscoring situations. This is the level of performance which Pochettino is looking for from his captain, and he delivered after some below-par performances in previous fixtures.
Ben Davies 7
The Welshman defended well and kept things tight at the back even though he is known to be an adventurous fullback.
Toby Alderweireld 6.5
Made some good tackles and interceptions to keep his side in the lead. Arnautovic troubled him, but the Belgian did enough to keep a clean sheet.
Davinson Sanchez 6.5
The Colombian ace started slowly in the first half but got better as the game moved on. Did enough on the day.
Kieran Trippier 7
Is usually known for his attacking outlet but the Englishman defended astutely and played a big part in keeping the clean sheet.
Eric Dier 7
The Englishman played the anchor role to perfection and shielded his backline well. Sometimes he was caught on the ball but apart from that a strong performance.
Moussa Sissoko 8
Sissoko was everywhere on the pitch in the first half as he was tireless in his running and closing down the Hammers players. He set the goal up brilliantly by providing a pin-point cross. It seems he is going to establish himself as a regular in the starting eleven.
Harry Winks 7.5
Dictated the game well with his distribution. Was full of energy and showed that he could do the dirty work in midfield as well.
Erik Lamela 7
Scored with a good glancing header which turned out to be the winner. His movements caused the Hammers defenders a lot of worries. Helped his side out defensively in the second half to keep the lead intact.
Lucas Moura 6
The Brazilian was full of energy as usual but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. Nevertheless, his pace definitely kept West Ham on edge.
Harry Kane 5.5
The English striker didn’t get any clear-cut chances in front of goal and hardly had any touch in the penalty box. Worked tirelessly like always.
Substitutes
Fernando Llorente N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
Mousa Dembele 6
Did his defensive duties alright and helped in retaining the ball when he came on.
Christian Eriksen N/A
Didn’t play enough but Spurs fan would be glad that their Danish playmaker is back fit.
