David Hytner was our man out east today. He witnessed the dawning of a new age, and perhaps the end times of another. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM!
The turn of the under-pressure Manuel Pellegrini. “There is frustration because we did not win a home game, especially because it is the derby against Tottenham. It’s a victory we wanted to have for our fans, to return to a winning performance, but we couldn’t. Antonio could not play the whole game, but we hope in the future he will contribute to a win. When you don’t have the result you want, you must trust more than ever. Our players never gave up, they continued to fight until the last minute. The moment we have the first winning result, the pressure will be gone.”
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And now a word with the man of the moment, Jose Mourinho! “I was really happy for an hour. We were playing well, doing things we spoke a lot about. I think we are lucky that I have so many years of Premier League that I told the players at half-time, even if it is 3-0, minute 85 the game will be open, and I think they understood that. But for the last 20 minutes, fatigue, people coming from the national team, all the emotions of losing their manager, another one comes ... there was clearly fatigue. And we were playing a very good team with good players, and their coach tried different things, playing more direct to avoid our pressure. It was not easy. But I really liked very much our first 60 minutes. I enjoyed it. The most important thing was not to win 3-0 or 4-0, the three points were a mental barrier. The boys are happy, and I really wanted them to be back to happiness. Dele Alli is too good not to be in the national team, too good not to be one of the best players in the world. The best Dele has to be back.”
Dele Alli speaks: “It’s been a tough week for us emotionally. We’ve all spent a long time with Poch and were shocked when we heard the news. It was very sad. But we have a job to do. We have to go out and perform for the fans and for the club. No matter what happens, we have to stay together as a squad. In football things change.”
Son Heung-min adds: “For almost five years we have tried to play from the back, but now we are trying something new. We adapted well, the lads did a really good job. We have to fight for the second ball.”
That result catapults Tottenham up to sixth, at least for a couple of hours. West Ham are still stuck in 16th place, currently five points clear of the relegation zone. Should Watford beat Burnley later, though, that’ll just be two. And as good as Spurs were for most of that game - Son and Alli were sensational in the first half - West Ham turned in the sort of performance that usually leads to a relegation scrap. Not a perfect day at the office for Mourinho, as it looked like being midway through the second half, but more than good enough. Onwards and upwards. West Ham by contrast are in all sorts of bother; those late goals don’t mask anything. Manuel Pellegrini is on very thin ice.
FULL TIME: West Ham United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
But it’s too late for West Ham. Spurs have their first away win since January ... though those late West Ham goals mean Jose Mourinho doesn’t look quite as pleased with his team’s performance as he was a little earlier.
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GOAL! West Ham United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (Ogbonna 90+6)
Antonio, who has been the one plus point for West Ham this afternoon, races along the byline to the left of goal. His low cross-cum-shot pinballs off Alderweireld and Gazzaniga. Half the ground celebrate a goal, but the ball has somehow squirted wide of the bottom left. No matter! From the resulting corner, Ogbonna loses Sanchez and slams a shot into the bottom left!
90 min +4: Kane purchases a cheap free kick from Noble in midfield. That’s the pressure off Spurs, who are closing in on their first away win in the Premier League since January.
90 min +3: Another corner for West Ham. Snodgrass takes. Too long. Rice tries to recycle the ball from the right. Alderweireld clears.
90 min +2: West Ham have enjoyed 82 percent of possession in the last five minutes. Spurs fans better get used to matches ending like this, it’s how Mourinho rolls.
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90 min +1: There will be six added minutes. During the first, Snodgrass digs a cross out from a deep position on the left. Haller rises and heads straight at Gazzaniga.
90 min: ... West Ham score! Ogbonna rises highest. The ball’s going wide left, but Rice turns it in by the post. The referee awards the goal ... but VAR snatches it away quickly. Rice was clearly offside, so much so that the home fans didn’t really bother celebrating properly in the first place.
89 min: More good work by Antonio, who battles to win possession. Fredericks scoops a cross from the right. It’s deflected out for a corner, from which ...
87 min: However, after giving it some thought, Michael Oliver books Kane and Snodgrass, who, it should be pointed out, are both grown men.
86 min: West Ham refuse to put the ball out of play with Sissoko down injured. Kane has a nibble at Snodgrass, who reacts angrily and throws the Spurs man to the floor. Just for a second, it looks like developing into a bit of rough-house, but everyone calms down quickly enough.
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84 min: Spurs are now sitting back. The plan presumably being to keep their shape, and keep hold of what they’ve got. Cresswell crosses from the left, but Sanchez heads powerfully clear with ease.
82 min: Moura knocks Cresswell to the ground, and it’s a free kick out on the left. West Ham load the box. Snodgrass can’t find anyone, though. That’s Moura’s last act of the afternoon, as he’s replaced by Sissoko.
81 min: Moura is bowled over by Sanchez, 25 yards out. Kane takes the free kick and belts it straight at Roberto, who gathers without fuss for once. The home crowd again with the ironic cheers.
79 min: Eriksen comes on for Alli, who takes his sweet time to leave the field of play. Noble gets up in the referee’s grille, pointing out that he should have departed at the nearest point of exit. That may be reflected in the time added on. Or it may not.
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77 min: Suddenly West Ham look lively. Noble launches long towards Antonio, who chests down on the edge of the box for Haller. Unfortunately Haller can’t get any purchase on his snapshot, and Tottenham can clear. But this is better from the home side, who have finally turned up, just the 70-odd minutes late.
75 min: Davies injured himself while fouling Antonio back there. He limps off, to be replaced by Rose.
GOAL! West Ham United 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur (Antonio 73)
Antonio has been West Ham’s one success story this afternoon, putting himself about since coming on, a whirlwind of desire and talent. There’s some pinball in the Spurs box. The ball breaks to him. He slips Alderweireld with a deft shimmy right, then slaps a low shot into the bottom left from the edge of the area! A lovely finish, and there’s life in this match yet.
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72 min: That was really brave from Kane, who resisted the temptation to raise his hands to save himself. He took that full in the face, standing firm. He’s good to continue, though.
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70 min: Cresswell belts the free kick very hard. It hits poor old Kane flush in his startled coupon. Ooyah, oof, that’s going to hurt a lot. He lies face down in the turf awhile. Selflessly, the Spurs captain has given the put-upon West Ham fans something to cheer.
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69 min: Antonio shines for West Ham, dribbling past Davies and Dier, cutting in from the right and drawing a foul from Davies, who had come back for more. A free kick in a dangerous position.
67 min: Aurier nutmegs Snodgrass out on the right wing, and scampers off tittering, like a cartoon character with a bag of sweeties. Snodgrass tilts his head back, scrunches his eyes, and emits a loud AW NO. It’s been that sort of day for West Ham.
66 min: Spurs are strutting around like they own the place. Which, this afternoon, they sort of do. They’re hogging possession, stroking it around in the grand manner. It’s very easy on the eye. Could this day be going any better for Jose Mourinho?
64 min: Diop is put out of his misery, hooked for Carlos Sanchez, whose arrival isn’t met with uniform enthusiasm by the West Ham faithful.
63 min: Now it’s Son’s turn to beat the West Ham offside trap. He scoots down the left and wins a corner. The set piece leads to nothing, but there are more goals in this for Spurs.
61 min: West Ham United force Gazzaniga into a save! Antonio glides in from the right and curls towards the top right. It’s an easy catch for the keeper, who immediately launches long. Diop, who has been awful today, misjudges the flight of the long blooter, and allows Kane to tear clear on goal! To be fair to Diop, he mops up his own mess by powering back and blocking Kane, who dithered uncharacteristically. But still. What a mess.
60 min: Moura dinks a reverse pass down the left, nearly setting Kane clear. Fredericks does well to hook the ball away from danger.
58 min: West Ham have shown very little fight. Fornals tries to inject a bit of energy by bustling down the right, but nobody other than Noble seems particularly interested in joining in. The move peters out.
56 min: Yarmolenko isn’t happy either. He’s been totally anonymous today. But there he is anyway, a face like thunder as he’s yanked for Fornals.
55 min: Cresswell slips a ball down the left in the hope of releasing Antonio, but the striker’s gone too quickly and it’s an easy offside decision for the linesman. The home crowd are restless.
53 min: West Ham are all over the shop. Alli is allowed to trundle down the right, and nearly releases Kane into the area with a deft flick. Diop is on point this time, and intercepts. This particular panic is over, but the Hammers can’t keep on like this, or things could get extremely embarrassing.
51 min: Kane twisted his ankle while landing, but after a grimace and a rub, it looks as though he’ll be fine to continue.
GOAL! West Ham United 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur (Kane 49)
Moura’s miss matters not. Aurier is afforded space down the right. He crosses high. Kane rises and plants a downward header past the flapping Roberto. Kane beat a snoozing, dizzy Diop with ease there.
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48 min: Antonio has clearly been given a remit to put himself about up front. He battles with Sanchez down the left and wins a free kick. Snodgrass’s delivery is appalling, and Spurs clear easily ... then break at great speed. Moura exchanges passes with Son, and he’s clear in the box. He should score, but drags a miserable effort across the face of goal and out to the left. He might have been trying to play in Alli, tearing down the inside left, caught in two minds.
47 min: Fredericks plays a ball down the right wing to nobody in particular. It dribbles out of play apologetically for a goal kick. Most of the folk in the London Stadium groan in unison, then fall silent. The misery is palpable.
46 min: Aurier slides through the back of Snodgrass in midfield. It should be a booking; it’s not even a foul. There have been some strange decisions in this match.
West Ham get the second half underway. Anderson has been hooked; Antonio comes on.
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: West Ham United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
A full 45 minutes into the Jose Mourinho era, and a first Premier League away win for Spurs in ten months is on. As for the Manuel Pellegrini era at West Ham ... well, his coat’s on a shoogly peg. His team are booed off.
45 min +2: A corner for Spurs down the right. From which, Sanchez heads towards the top right. It’s going over, but Roberto takes no chances. He tips over the bar. And that’s the end of the half.
45 min: Snodgrass has a speculative dig from distance. It forces Gazzaniga to scramble in a panic towards his left-hand post, but the ball’s always whizzing wide.
GOAL! West Ham United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Lucas 43)
This is a great goal. Alli, falling backwards on the left touchline, keeps the ball in play by backheeling it towards Son from a prone position. Sensational! Bet his brother can’t do that. Son tears off down the wing, his ankle seemingly fine, and curls a low cross towards the far post, where Lucas races in to slam home. West Ham are a shambles, but Spurs have been very impressive.
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41 min: The resulting free kick is swung into the mixer. Roberto comes out to punch, succeeding only in clattering his own man Ogbonna. The ball drops to Alli, who hooks goalwards. Roberto sort of claws it away, just, but as the ball bounces around, the play’s stopped and he gets away with it. Roberto should be soundtracked by this at all times:
40 min: Fredericks slides in late on Son, who was preparing to make off down the left. He studs Son on his planted ankle, and is booked. That really should have been a red card. It’s checked by VAR, too, but the decision stands. A really sore one, and Son takes a while to recover.
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38 min: Roberto offered no resistance to Son’s shot, though take nothing away from the crispness of the finish. Son is such a fine player. Spurs come at West Ham again, Alli whipping a shot inches wide of the bottom left.
GOAL! West Ham United 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Son 36)
Diop is stripped with embarrassing ease by Alli, out on the left. He feeds Kane, who is blocked by Rice. But Spurs come straight back at West Ham. Alli slides a pass down the inside left to release Son, who shimmies and shakes to confuse Diop, then whips a shot across Roberto, who might as well not be there, and into the bottom right. On the touchline, Jose punches the air. It’s on!
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34 min: A warm round of applause for West Ham season-ticket holder Lily Harris, who passed away recently.
33 min: Kane and Alli combine cutely in limited space down the inside-left channel, releasing Son into the box. Son is shaping to thread the ball into the bottom right when Rice slides in. A magnificent saving tackle, and nothing comes of the resulting corner. Spurs are knocking at the door.
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32 min: Space for Son down the left. He earns a corner off Diop. One Winks corner leads to another. And another. Roberto punches the third to the feet of Alderweireld, who swivels to shoot but can’t get anything meaningful away. West Ham finally clear their lines.
30 min: Spurs stroke it around the middle of the park awhile, subduing the crowd. At least Roberto’s out of harm’s way.
28 min: Kane drops deep to quarterback, nearly releasing Moura on goal with a long rake. Roberto comes to the edge of his box to claim, and is rewarded with ironic cheers from his own fans. Memories of Allen McKnightmare come flooding back.
26 min: Noble flicks a gorgeous first-time pass down the left wing, with the outside of his right foot, towards Anderson. What a spot! Anderson scampers down the wing and slips a pass inside for Haller. But it’s a poor pass, just behind the striker, and the move breaks down. For a second there, West Ham were three on two, and Spurs were in a world of trouble. Full marks to Noble for both vision and execution.
24 min: Kane gets pelters from the crowd for needlessly shoving Fredericks to the ground, as the defender was ushering the ball out of play for a goal kick. He’s lucky not to go in the book for that brazen nonsense. His manager will be pleased with the way he’s putting himself about, though.
22 min: Anderson makes good ground down the left, but Aurier does well to stick to his task, and the winger runs out of space. A nice, breezy, open game, this, if not yet drama-packed.
20 min: Son is a sensational player, like that’s breaking news. He conjures space out of nothing, just to the left of the D, and snaps a curler towards the top right. It’s going in, and, fair’s fair, the oft-hapless Roberto does well to punch it away from danger.
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18 min: Yarmolenko curls a ball into the Spurs box from the right. Snodgrass prepares to head goalwards only to be nudged in the back by Aurier as he rises. Snodgrass falls over and demands a penalty. He’s not getting it. You’ve seen them given, though it would have been very soft. Even so, Aurier’s challenge was clumsy; a little more force and the referee might have been minded to point to the spot. The man’s an accident waiting to happen.
16 min: The game goes a little bit scrappy. On the bench, the all-new PR-friendly Mourinho makes a few notes, quietly and calmly. This can’t last. It won’t last.
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14 min: More space for Fredericks down the right. He overruns the ball, which goes out for a goal kick before he can cross. Gazzaniga takes the goal kick ... and blooters it upfield. No playing out from the back for Mourinho, one senses.
12 min: An absurd decision by Michael Oliver, who books Diop after a battle with Kane out on the Spurs left. Kane had dragged Diop to the ground, the defender falling on the ball as he’s fouled. But Spurs get the decision, and Diop is carded for handling the ball! Plenty of boos for that egregious double insult, and no wonder. The resulting free kick’s swung in. Roberto flaps, misses an easy catch, and Sanchez heads wide right. The flag goes up for offside, but dear me, what dismal goalkeeping.
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10 min: Spurs come straight back at the Hammers, Aurier making good ground down the right and cutting back ... to nobody in particular. Cresswell is able to scoop clear. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a goalless draw.
8 min: West Ham finally get their gamefaces on. Fredericks gets a bit of space down the right and crosses. Haller battles with Aurier and Sanchez for a header, six yards out. The defenders combine to win, and Gazzaniga claims. But that’s much better from the home side.
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6 min: Spurs have clearly been working on something in training. Again Alli slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Kane; once again he’s just offside, as he rolls the ball across the face of goal, inviting a tap-in that never comes. Spurs have enjoyed nearly 80 percent possession so far. West Ham have hardly had a kick.
5 min: That disallowed goal momentarily sucked the life out of the stadium. The home fans are making noise again now, but not quite as much as they had been. Spurs have done a good job of quietening them down, dominating these early exchanges.
3 min: Alli, dropping deep on the left, slips a pass down the channel and releases Kane, who lashes a first-time shot into the top left! What a glorious finish. Sadly for Spurs and Mourinho, they’re denied a perfect start, because Kane had gone way too early and was clearly offside. The flag goes up accordingly.
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2 min: Spurs keep hold of the ball in the sterile style. Then it’s shuttled down the left for Son, who twists and turns dangerously but can’t quite get the better of Fredericks. The derby atmosphere continues to bubble away.
Spurs get the ball rolling. Mourinho is back, then. And he’ll be coming into contact with VAR in the Premier League for the very first time. It’s made for solid-gold entertainment, this.
The teams are out! The denizens of the London Stadium wish with all their heart they were back at the Boleyn welcome the two sides ahead of this huge London derby. Pretty bubbles in the air. West Ham sport their current claret-and-blue seventies pastiche, while Tottenham are in their favoured lilywhite. Both kits very easy on the eye. Mourinho made his presence felt in the tunnel, incidentally, still beaming, slapping the back of every player on both teams. A masterclass in passive aggression. We’ll be off before you know it!
contentment n. (kənˈtent.mənt) a feeling of happiness or satisfaction.
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A slightly downbeat Manuel Pellegrini speaks. “We have to concentrate in our defending. The games we have lost at home, against Newcastle and Crystal Palace, and the draw against Sheffield United, we have conceded six goals and five of those from set pieces. We must concentrate on those sort of balls, and we must play well because we are playing a big team with good players. Fortunately for us, we have Michail Antonio ready. Maybe not to play the whole game, but some minutes.”
An extremely laid-back Jose gives his first pre-match interview as Spurs boss. “Sometimes people think when results are not good that it is something related to motivation, but that is not the case,” he tells BT Sport. “They are good professionals and they tried their best. And that’s what they’re going to do. Tactically, of course there are not big changes. Just little, important things that we think can help them to get our objectives. The match today is very important, but our future is also very important. So I need to understand what is in Christian Eriksen’s mind and heart, and we have to make the right decision for the club. But on top of that, I believe Lucas, Son, Alli and Kane are players with a good understanding. We are going to try to find, in the little time I have had to work, some dynamic to hurt the opposition. Let’s see if we can do it. I like the ideas but I like to work the ideas. And today was more about ideas than working the ideas. So let’s see if we can find happiness.” Some typically enigmatic flourishes at the end, there. Mourinho at his gnomic best. He’s back, baby.
West Ham United make two changes to the side gubbed 3-0 at Burnley before the international break. Angelo Ogbonna comes in for Fabian Balbuena, while Andriy Yarmolenko replaces Pablo Fornals. Captain Mark Noble has passed a fitness test and is good to go. The much-maligned Roberto keeps his place in between the sticks.
There are three differences between Mauricio Pochettino’s last Spurs team and Jose Mourinho’s first. Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso are out of the XI named for the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United. Ndombele is injured, while the other two are benched. In come Toby Alderweireld, Harry Winks and Lucas Moura. Christian Eriksen is on the bench.
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The teams
West Ham United: Roberto, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Yarmolenko, Noble, Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Haller.
Subs: Balbuena, Zabaleta, Sanchez, Fornals, Martin, Ajeti, Antonio.
Jose Mourinho’s first Tottenham Hotspur selection: Gazzaniga, Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies, Dier, Winks, Lucas Moura, Alli, Son, Kane.
Subs: Rose, Walker-Peters, Sissoko, Lo Celso, Foyth, Eriksen, Austin.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
Mourinho is in the building. Looking very relaxed, as well. He’s even been high-fiving some young West Ham supporting kids. London Jose seems about ten years younger than Lowry Jose.
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When José met Dele he delved back into his old box of motivational tools …
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Preamble
Well this doesn’t need much building up, does it? And there we were, thinking Manchester City versus Chelsea was nailed on as the biggest event of the day.
Yes, it’s the long-awaited / dreaded (delete as you see fit) return of Jose Mourinho. The former Chelsea manager has pitched up on the north side of town, to see if he can bring Tottenham Hotspur the shiny silver success that proved tantalisingly out of poor old Mauricio Pochettino’s reach. You know Mourinho’s USP: trophies are guaranteed. Here we go, then!
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Mourinho’s first job is to rebuild stuttering Spurs’ confidence, and get them back up the Premier League. He couldn’t have picked a much better fixture to start with. Spurs have emerged victorious from their last three visits to the London Stadium, and today they’ll face a West Ham team in abject form: five losses and two draws from their last seven games. Jose will fancy this one.
On the other hand, Spurs aren’t in the greatest nick themselves. Hence poor Pochettino’s sacking. They’ve only won five games all season, and two of those were against a risible Red Star Belgrade rabble. Infamously, Tottenham haven’t won on the road in the Premier League since January. And the Hammers are desperate to rise up the division themselves, and will take succour from the tail end of last season, when they became the first team to defeat Spurs in their sparkling new stadium.
So a no-holds-barred London derby awaits. It didn’t need the extra spice that Mourinho will bring. But baby it’s got it. This should be a whole world of fun. The Premier League is back after the international break ... and it’s on!
Kick off: 12.30pm GMT.
