Undone By Defensive Deficiencies

Tottenham fell to their fifth loss in six Premier League matches as West Ham moved nine points clear of the North Londoners with a 2-1 win at the London Stadium. The game, marking Jose Mourinho’s 50th league fixture in charge of Spurs, brought into sharp focus the distinct lack of progress made by the Portuguese during his Tottenham tenure.

Of course, there are mitigating circumstances. Spurs played away in the Europa League on Thursday night. And in this unyielding season, Mourinho’s side has had the heaviest workload of any team in Europe’s top five divisions. However, with Gareth Bale and Dele Alli making a combined total of three league starts this campaign, any fatigue is – at least in part – of Mourinho’s own making.

Will Bale and Alli figure in the games ahead? Does Mourinho believe in them enough? Or is it too much of a risk? Should it be a risk considering both players and their talent? Sometimes it’s tricky to predict. Work it out here, at your-promotional-code.co.uk.

The pair were again left on the bench here as Spurs fell behind in the fifth minute. Michail Antonio’s entirely avoidable opener was the type of goal that has come to characterise Tottenham’s descent down the table since December. Jarrod Bowen was afforded all the time he required – and more – on the right-wing to manoeuvre the ball on to his left foot and send a teasing cross into the six-yard box. Dier and Tanganga looked well-positioned to avert the danger, but neither took command.

Antonio flung out a leg to divert the ball goalwards, forcing a save from Lloris. The striker was first to react to the rebound and snaffled his sixth Premier League goal of the season from underneath the crossbar. The passionate on-pitch inquest conducted by the Tottenham defence could have found any number of players culpable.

Spurs were fortunate not to concede again on the ten-minute mark. The weary-looking Hojbjerg – who has started every Premier League game this term – gifted the ball to Antonio on the half-way line. The striker raced to the edge of the area before slipping Lingard in on the right side of the Spurs box. Declining a clear shooting opportunity, the England man instead looked to return the ball to Antonio, overhitting his pass and letting the visitors off the hook.

Moments later, Erik Lamela almost laid on an equaliser for Harry Kane. Picking up the ball in his own half, the Argentine showed great strength and no shortage of skill to hold off Declan Rice before tricking his way past Craig Dawson. His pass into Kane’s path was perfectly weighted for the striker to shoot without breaking stride. The England captain sliced across the ball, sending his shot spinning disappointingly wide of Fabianski’s near post.

Tottenham went close again with a quarter of an hour played. Moura’s beavering run won a corner which Lamela swung in left-footed. Fabianski could only flap the ball towards his back post, where Tanganga had the chance to head at goal. The defender instead nodded back across the six-yard box, prompting Soucek and Sanchez to throw their heads in where it hurts. The clash of craniums left Soucek with blood pouring from a nasty cut below the eye as West Ham hacked the ball to safety.

Facing a compact midfield and disciplined defence, Tottenham looked most dangerous when working the ball wide. Reguilon, making a welcome return from injury, provided a constant option to his midfielders on the left-wing. Son was also a menacing presence on that flank. Mid-way through the first half, Kane found the Korean with a diagonal pass. Leaving Coufal in his wake with a blistering step-over, Son cut the ball back from the byline to Moura at the near post. Any sort of touch would have severely tested Fabianski. Jabbing out a leg, however, the Brazilian failed to make contact.

At the other end, Lloris was forced into a smart save as Dawson rose powerfully to meet Cresswell’s 37th-minute corner. Having tipped the ball over, the Frenchman was relieved to see Diop miscue his header from another Cresswell delivery that, yet again, exposed Tottenham’s ramshackle marking.

With half-time approaching, Spurs did finally manage to work Fabianksi. Dier threaded a ball into the willing Reguilon, who in turn squared a pass across the edge of the area. Lamela met it with a sweet first-time strike that required a scrambling save from the West Ham keeper.

Stalking the touchline, Mourinho had visibly implored several of his players to keep their heads up during the first half. Within two minutes of the start of the second period, his entire team were staring despondently at the turf. Pablo Fornals found space in front of the Tottenham rearguard and helped the ball inside to Jesse Lingard. The Manchester United loanee burst beyond two feeble challenges before arrowing the ball past Lloris into the far corner. The linesman’s flag momentarily offered the Spurs defence an undeserved reprieve – but, following a VAR check, the goal was rightly given.

Gareth Bale, who had replaced Lamela at the interval, shouldered the responsibility of repairing the damage. The Welshman relentlessly demanded the ball on the right-wing from his team-mates, providing a string of excellent deliveries into the West Ham box that the Tottenham forwards failed to capitalise on. With an hour played, Bale drove infield before shooting straight at Fabianski from 18 yards.

Seconds later, combining with fellow substitute Doherty, Bale forced a corner from Declan Rice with an audaciously attempted nutmeg. Tottenham’s number nine took the kick himself, whipping the ball to the near post where Lucas Moura leapt in front of Rice to propel a sharp header beyond Fabianski.

West Ham were by now content to try and hold what they had. Kane went close with 18 minutes to go, firing a crisp left-footed shot narrowly wide from just outside the box. Bale was closer still six minutes later following a move he had started. His perceptive pass down the channel set Kane free on the right of the West Ham box. The striker drove the ball across the face of goal where substitute Dele Alli looked certain to equalise only for the lunging Declan Rice to somehow intervene.

The ball broke back to Kane, who picked out Bale at the base of the area. Bale’s superb half-volley thundered against Fabianski bar with the keeper rooted to the spot. It would have been a fitting reward for Bale’s best performance since his Spurs second coming.

West Ham restricted Tottenham to optimistic long shots in what remained of the match until, in injury time, Bale fashioned one last chance. His deep cross found Kane in the middle of the goal. As the West Ham defence descended upon the striker, the ball fell to Coufal, who thrashed a panicked clearance at Son. The resulting ricochet looped over Fabianski and struck the inside of the post before rebounding to safety.

As the full-time whistle blew, Spurs fans were left rueing their manager’s decision not to start Bale. Had the winger been set loose on West Ham for the full 90 minutes, perhaps Tottenham would have reignited hope of a top-four finish. Instead, their league season now looks all but over.