Hammers implode as 20 minutes of second half madness sees Spurs move into second

The River Lee Navigation, with the Olympic Stadium in the distance (Picture: Charlie Stong)

West Ham United 0

Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Sarr 47, Bergvall 57, van de Ven 64)

Three Spurs goals and a red card for West Ham inside the first 20 minutes of the second half saw the Hammers implode as Spurs moved into second in the fledgling Premier League table.

The first real chance falling to Lucas Paquetá, who swivelled smartly inside the box but dragged his shot just wide of Guglielmo Vicario’s right-hand post.

At the other end, Spurs’ new £60m signing Xavi Simons, recruited from RB Leipzig this summer, caught the eye with his direct running and sharp passing.

The visitors thought they had taken the lead on 19 minutes when Cristian Romero powered home Mathys Tel’s corner, but referee Jarred Gillett correctly ruled it out after spotting Micky van de Ven hauling down Kyle Walker-Peters in the build-up.

Spurs looked the more threatening in a first half of limited opportunities, particularly from corners whipped in by Mohammed Kudus – another summer arrival, controversially poached from West Ham for £54.5m. But for all their pressure, chances were scarce.

The closest either side came before the break owed much to defensive chaos. Jarrod Bowen’s dangerous cross seemed comfortable for Vicario, but van de Ven got a touch that fortunately deflected the ball to Romero and not a West Ham boot.

Whatever Thomas Frank said at half-time had the desired effect, because Spurs emerged after the interval with renewed purpose – and within 20 minutes the contest was effectively over.

The breakthrough came on 47 minutes from yet another corner. This time it was Simons who swung it in, and Pape Matar Sarr rose highest to thump a header past Hermansen.

Just minutes later, West Ham’s hopes were dealt a crushing blow. Tomas Soucek lunged into a 50-50 with João Palhinha, catching the Portuguese midfielder high on the shin. Referee Jarred Gillett wasted no time in producing a straight red, sparking chants of “You’re going down” from the buoyant away end.

Seconds after the restart it was 2-0. Romero’s long ball forward picked out Lucas Bergvall, who ghosted into the box and looped a header over the stranded Hermansen.

By the 64th minute it was three. Bergvall, given acres of space in the box, miscontrolled but inadvertently teed up van de Ven, who rifled a low shot into the corner. That was enough for many disgruntled home fans to head for the exits.

Spurs eased through the closing stages, their job long since done, while Graham Potter’s Hammers looked disjointed and dispirited. Although Spurs were not at their fluent best, Frank’s side showed a ruthlessness that bodes well for the season ahead.

For West Ham, though, the alarm bells are already ringing.

Teams:West Ham: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Summerville (Guilherme 62), Ward-Prowse (Irvine 90+2), Paquetá (Wilson 69), Mavropanos, Fernandes (Magassa 62), Bowen, Soucek.Tottenham: Vicario, Palhinha, Simons (Richarlison 71), Tel (Odobert 79), Bergvall (Johnson 79), Romero, Kudus, Porro, Spence (Udogie 71), Sarr, van de Ven (Danso 79).Referee: Jarred Gillett.