Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Ham United: Score, Grades, Reaction from London Derby
Harry Kane rescued Tottenham Hotspur with a last-minute goal as Spurs came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 at home to West Ham United on Sunday in the Premier League.
Facing a critical week-long stretch in three competitions, Spurs started well but fell behind in the 22nd minute as Cheikhou Kouyate headed in a well-worked goal for West Ham. The visitors then shocked White Hart Lane with a second in the 62nd minute, via Diafra Sakho.
Tottenham pulled a goal back through Danny Rose in the 81st minute and drew level as Kane converted on the rebound after his initial penalty was saved.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
The result drew Tottenham within three points of fourth-placed Manchester United in the race for the Premier League's final UEFA Champions League spot, though Southampton could make that margin one point larger with a victory later Sunday. West Ham remain eighth with 39 points.
"Credit to #THFC. Looked dead & buried up until Rose goal, dominated the game from there. Kane penalty miss & follow up equaliser sum it up.
— Willie Gannon (@WillieGannon) February 22, 2015"
Sunday's match fell at the beginning of a busy—and critical—week for Tottenham. Up next for Mauricio Pochettino's side is a trip to Fiorentina on Thursday for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-32 tie. Spurs have work to do after drawing the first leg 1-1 on home soil, so Pochettino will hope his team will be boosted by their late comeback against West Ham.
Progress in the Europa League is vital because of the reward it could bring. The winner of this season's competition will earn a spot in next term's Champions League, meaning Tottenham could afford to finish outside the top four and still qualify for Europe's top-tier club competition.
Pochettino and his players will still aim for a top-four finish, but for now, that is not their only concern. Three days after their trip to Italy, Spurs will make the trip across London to play Chelsea in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley. Victory over Jose Mourinho's side would deliver Pochettino a trophy in his first season with the club and would also give Tottenham momentum for the run-in.
Up next for West Ham, meanwhile, is a Premier League match at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday. Comfortably clear of the relegation scrap, the Hammers will look to consolidate their place in the top half when the Eagles visit Upton Park.
Spurs started brightly, creating the first chances in the opening minutes and looking the more likely side to score the first goal. A first chance came in the sixth minute as Nabil Bentaleb struck a powerful shot sweetly from distance. The ball was destined for the top corner, but West Ham goalkeeper Adrian dived to his left to make a fine save at full stretch.
In the 11th minute, Kane ran onto a delicate pass over the top from Rose. But after controlling the ball in the box, Kane scuffed an awkward shot off the base of the far post as West Ham's Winston Reid made a timely challenge.
West Ham's first sight of goal was Aaron Cresswell's speculative shot from 35 yards in the 17th minute. But the visitors quickly gained a foothold with high pressing, and in the 22nd minute, the Hammers went ahead.
Enner Valencia started the sequence by winning possession off Mousa Dembele deep in Tottenham's half. West Ham worked the ball to Cresswell making a run down the left flank along the edge of the box. Cresswell pulled back a cross for Kouyate, who planted a firm header past Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for a 1-0 West Ham lead.
Tottenham nearly struck back quickly, Kane picking out Rose with a chipped pass into the box. Rose beat Adrian to the ball and looped a header toward goal, but his attempt flew inches over the bar.
In the 28th minute, Lloris came off his line quickly to deny Valencia at close range as West Ham tried to double their lead. One minute later, Tottenham's Ryan Mason bounced a shot just wide at the other end.
Still trailing by a goal at half-time, Tottenham introduced influential midfielder Christian Eriksen—who had started on the bench in order to rest ahead of Spurs' busy week—for the start of the second 45 minutes.
But the first big chance of the second half belonged to West Ham. In the 59th minute, Mark Noble played a through ball to Sakho on the right, freeing the Senegalese for a one-on-one with Lloris. With Valencia unmarked in the middle, Sakho tried a shot at the near post, which Lloris saved.
It was a massive let-off for Spurs, but the hosts' relief was short-lived. In the 62nd minute, Noble chased down a loose ball on the left side and hit a cross to the back post as Tottenham scrambled to cover. Sakho slipped behind the defence and bounced a first-time shot past Lloris from a tight angle.
Replays showed Valencia was in an offside position at the time Noble played his cross. Valencia did not touch the ball but did attempt to head it in before Sakho finished.
Leading 2-0, West Ham nearly had a third in the 66th minute. Reid nodded down a Noble free-kick into the path of Valencia, who redirected the ball on target. Lloris made himself big to stop the initial effort, then kicked away the rebound to deny Valencia another chance.
Tottenham put the ball in the net in the 75th minute, but the goal was ruled out. An Erik Lamela shot was deflected into the air, with Kane volleying in at the second attempt after Adrian saved his initial header. But the Spurs striker was offside at the time of Lamela's original shot, and Spurs were left frustrated.
The home side came close again in the 77th minute, with Eriksen curling a free-kick toward the bottom corner from well outside the box. Adrian saved, diving to his left to push the ball away.
A goal was coming for Tottenham, and in the 81st minute, the home side pulled one back. Lamela and Eriksen worked a short corner on the right, with Lamela then curling a cross into the danger area, where Adrian punched clear. The ball fell to Rose, who bounced a first-time shot beyond the West Ham goalkeeper, who was out of position following his failed clearance.
The goal set up a tense finish as Tottenham bombed forward in search of an equaliser. Adrian stopped a fierce effort from substitute Roberto Soldado in the 84th minute, and Jan Vertonghen headed over from a corner four minutes later.
It was beginning to look like Spurs were doomed to defeat, but in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time, Kane won a penalty after crumpling under a clumsy challenge by Alex Song.
Kane took the penalty himself, converting on the rebound with the final kick of the game after Adrian denied his initial effort.
Grades
| Hugo Lloris | 6.9 |
| Kyle Walker | 7.1 |
| Eric Dier | 6.8 |
| Jan Vertonghen | 6.4 |
| Danny Rose | 8.1 |
| Ryan Mason | 6.9 |
| Nabil Bentaleb | 7.4 |
| Andros Townsend | 6.8 |
| Mousa Dembele | 5.9 |
| Erik Lamela | 7.3 |
| Harry Kane | 7.7 |
| Christian Eriksen (for Dembele, 46') | 6.7 |
| Roberto Soldado (for Townsend, 60') | 6.3 |
| Nacer Chadli (for Mason, 80') | 6.2 |
| Adrian | 7.2 |
| Carl Jenkinson | 7.0 |
| Winston Reid | 6.7 |
| James Tomkins | 7.4 |
| Aaron Cresswell | 7.0 |
| Mark Noble | 8.1 |
| Alex Song | 6.4 |
| Cheikhou Kouyate | 7.9 |
| Stewart Downing | 6.3 |
| Enner Valencia | 7.0 |
| Diafra Sakho | 8.2 |
| Carlton Cole (for Noble, 68') | 6.0 |
| Matthew Jarvis (for Valencia, 75') | 5.9 |
| James Collins (for Cole, 86') | 6.3 |
Reaction
Tottenham striker Harry Kane, via BBC Sport:
"The ball bounced nicely for me, I got in front of Alex Song, was about to shoot and got tumbled over. It was a nervous penalty to take but when your luck is in your luck is in. My heart was in my mouth when the keeper saved the first shot but it fell nicely for the rebound.
I think we deserved the draw, we dug deep at 2-0 down and it shows our character. We were sloppy in the first half but at 2-0 down we started playing better and knew what we had to do. Not one head dropped.
We knew we had half an hour to go, knew if we got one then the second could come. We're delighted to get the draw.
"
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, via BBC Sport:
"When you analyse the full 90 minutes I think we deserved one point. We started very well, had three chances to score, including the one where Harry Kane hit the post.
When they scored it was difficult for us to play, because they play very deep and the counter attack is very good for West Ham with Sakho and Valencia who are very fast.
But in the second half I thought some decisions were against us - the second goal was offside. But we need to finish better and score more goals.
I think we showed character—that's the most important thing. Going into the last 10 minutes at 2-0 down, to finish the game 2-2 is something to be proud of.
"
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, via BBC Sport:
"I thought we were going to see the game through nicely but we made a huge mistake at the end. Whether it's a soft penalty or it isn't, it is something we shouldn't have done.
It's a real disappointment but it was a magnificent performance. The reason we lost the game was a bit of luck for them. We should have done enough at 2-0 up to see it out. That's been our Achilles heel since the turn of the year. We were in front against West Brom and drew 1-1, we were in front against Manchester United and drew 1-1, and we were in front at Swansea and drew 1-1.
I'm not blaming Harry Kane for going down in the box—we should do more of that. We're an honest team and we've only got one penalty this season. We're not getting rewards for our honesty.
"
Follow @MiguelCominguez
