Tottenham Hotspur faced off against West Ham United at the London Stadium earlier today hoping to make a winning start to Jose Mourinho’s reign as the club’s new manager. Spurs began the contest on the front foot and took the lead in the 36th-minute courtesy of Heung-min Son’s powerful finish. Lucas Moura doubled his team’s advantage just seven minutes later when he scored from close range.
The Lilywhites made a quick start after the half-time break and scored again in the 49th minute via Harry Kane’s header. The Hammers got a goal back through Michail Antonio which gave them some hope of conjuring up an unlikely comeback. Angelo Ogbonna scored in injury-time, but it was too little too late for the home team as Spurs secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the London derby.
Let’s take a look at how each Tottenham Hotspur player performed during the match against the Hammers.
GK: Paulo Gazzaniga – 6/10
He hardly had anything to do in the first half. The Tottenham goalie couldn’t do much to avoid either of West Ham’s goals in the second half.
RB: Serge Aurier – 7/10
He was a decent outlet for the visitors down the right flank. Aurier even managed to grab an assist to show for his efforts.
CB: Toby Alderweireld – 7/10
The Belgian defensive ace put in a commanding display at the heart of the Tottenham backline. However, he will be disappointed that his side still ended up conceding two goals during the game.
CB: Davinson Sánchez – 7/10
The South American centre-back won a few aerial duels and was a dominant presence inside the Spurs penalty area.
LB: Ben Davies – 6.5/10
He was defensively strong but failed to provide any ammunition for the front players in the Hammers half.
CM: Eric Dier – 6.5/10
The English midfielder retained possession well in midfield and provided adequate cover for the Spurs backline.
CM: Harry Winks – 6/10
The Tottenham prospect worked his socks off at the centre of the park, which justified Mourinho’s decision to include him in his first-team.
RM: Lucas Moura – 7/10
The Brazilian speedster was a constant menace for the West Ham defenders. He was there in the right position to meet Son’s cross and kept his composure to score from point-blank range.
CAM: Dele Alli – 6/10
He was bright in the first half but faded as the match went on in the second period. The English playmaker needs to find some consistency with his performances if he wants to earn a regular starting berth at North London.
LM: Heung-Min Son – 8.5/10
The South-Korean sensation was the best player on the field in the first half. He opened the goal-scoring with a fine finish and picked out Moura well in the lead-up to Spurs’ second goal.
ST: Harry Kane – 8/10
The English forward missed a few glorious chances to score. However, he never gave up and managed to find the back of the net with his header in the second half.
Substitutes:
CAM: Christian Eriksen – 5/10
The Dane provided some fresh legs in midfield but couldn’t create too much going forward.
LB: Danny Rose – 5/10
The English full-back looked average at best after coming off the bench.
CM: Moussa Sissoko – N/A
He did not have enough time to make an impact.
