West Ham take three points as Spurs suffer third home loss in a row
After struggling defensively in recent games, Tottenham would have been relieved to see Cristian Romero return from a three-match suspension.
However, rather than the defensive third, it was the West Ham box where Romero made a significant impression in the 11th minute.
The Argentine centre-back rose high to meet Pedro Porro’s out-swinging corner and guide a looping header beyond the helpless Łukasz Fabiański, who was deputising for the injured Alphonse Areola.
Buoyed from Romero’s third goal of the season, Spurs spent the remainder of the first period searching for a second.
Giovani Lo Celso forced Fabiański into a routine stop before West Ham defender Kurt Zouma inadvertently directed the ball against the post in first-half stoppage time.
After offering very little before the break, a rejuvenated West Ham side gained a crucial foothold within seven minutes of the restart.
Mohammed Kudus’s long-range strike ricocheted into the path of Jarrod Bowen, who confidently fired home with his weaker right foot to net his ninth league goal of the campaign.
With Tottenham’s slender lead wiped out, Ange Postecoglou summoned Richarlison and Oliver Skipp from the bench in a bid to swing momentum back in the home team’s favour.
Richarlison was presented with the chance to make an immediate impact, but he could only glance his header wide from Porro’s inviting delivery. The full-back then took it upon himself to let fly, only for Fabiański to make a smart stop.
A failure to take those opportunities ultimately proved costly, as West Ham took full advantage of a defensive error to complete the turnaround.
Guglielmo Vicario could only push Destiny Udogie’s weak backpass into the path of the grateful James Ward-Prowse, who hit the post with his initial effort before tapping into an empty net from the subsequent rebound.
The ninth-placed Hammers frustrated Spurs for the remainder of the contest, ensuring the hosts remain in sixth position and without a win in five matches.
Flashcore Man of the Match: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)
