Tottenham Hotspur breezed past West Ham at the London Stadium far easier than anyone will have expected in their Premier League clash at the London Stadium on Saturday.
The match-defining moments all came in the second half, with Pape Matar Sarr breaking the deadlock less than two minutes after the break, and West Ham’s Tomas Soucek earning a straight red card in the 54th minute. Just three minutes later, Lucas Bergvall doubled the visitors’ lead, and in the 64th, Micky van de Ven set the final score at 0-3.
Teams
Midfielder Graham Earthy was the only player absent from West Ham’s squad.
Manager Graham Potter arranged his men in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Mads Hermansen was in goal, with Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman paired up in the heart of defence, flanked by former Spurs man Kyle Walker-Peters and Malick Diouf. Another one who played for Spurs in the past – James Ward-Prowse – joined Soucek in the middle of the park, while the trio of Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville supported Lucas Paqueta as the lone striker. It was a rather surprising move by Potter to put the attacking midfielder in that role, leaving designated strikers like Niclas Fullkrug and Callum Wilson on the bench.
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Thomas Frank had plenty of squad issues to work around. There are three players with cruciate ligament injuries in his ranks: forward Dejan Kulusevski, midfielder James Maddison and defender Radu Dragusin. Forward Dominic Solanke, midfielder Yves Bissouma, and defender Kota Takai, were all absent too.
Guglielmo Vicario stood between the posts, with Djed Spence shifted to the left defensive flank, Pedro Porro on the right, and Cristian Romero forming the centre-back duo with Van de Ven. Joao Palhinha anchored a three-man midfield, positioned just behind Sarr and Bergvall. In attack, striker Mathys Tel had Xavi Simons on one side, and former West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus on the other.
Match recap
The opening half carried a balanced rhythm, with West Ham showing early ambition through Paqueta and Bowen, while Tottenham steadily settled into possession. The visitors found most of their joy through wide deliveries and set-pieces, forcing defensive scrambles from the home side. Romero even found the net from a corner, only for the effort to be disallowed after Van de Ven was adjudged to have fouled Kyle Walker-Peters in the build-up. West Ham’s attacking promise was limited to flashes from Summerville and Diouf on the left and Bowen on the right, but they rarely stretched the Spurs defence.
The contest pivoted decisively just after the break. Tottenham struck within two minutes of the restart when Xavi Simons’ corner was met at the far post by Pape Matar Sarr, who nodded in unmarked. It was a soft concession from West Ham, exposing their fragility at set-pieces, and it tilted momentum firmly in Spurs’ favour.
Matters worsened dramatically for the Hammers soon after, as Soucek lunged into Joao Palhinha with a studs-up challenge. Referee Jarret Gillett had no hesitation in producing a red card, leaving West Ham to play the final 35 minutes with ten men. The dismissal broke their shape, stripped them of midfield control, and handed Tottenham a complete initiative.
Sensing the opening, Frank’s side capitalized ruthlessly. On 57 minutes, Bergvall scored his first Premier League goal, ghosting between defenders to meet a long ball from Romero and looping his header over Hermansen.
The third goal, arriving just seven minutes later, ended the contest. Bergvall was again involved in the build-up, linking play before Van de Ven advanced into the box and calmly swept a shot beyond Hermansen from twelve yards.
From that point, the match became an exercise in control. Spurs dictated possession, shifted West Ham from side to side, and denied them any chance of a comeback. The hosts, already demoralized, offered little resistance, their early sparks extinguished by the numerical disadvantage and the scoreboard pressure.
Tottenham, meanwhile, introduced fresh legs from the bench to consolidate their grip, ensuring the clean sheet was preserved without incident.
By the final whistle, the scoreline accurately reflected the gulf in composure, organization, and clinical execution after half-time.
More to come from Simons after exciting Spurs debut?
Having joined Spurs from RB Leipzig for a reported €60million fee, Xavi Simons played roughly 71 minutes on his club debut before being substituted.
He supplied the assist for the opener right after half-time: his corner was met by Pape Matar Sarr, who headed in unmarked at the far post. In terms of other metrics: he had 1 shot (off target), 50 touches, an 84.4% pass accuracy, made 1 dribble, 1 tackle, 7 crosses attempted, and he won 1 header. He looked lively and willing to take initiative throughout, always looking to create something when in possession, especially delivering that excellent ball for the goal.
Overall, while not perfect, it was a thoroughly promising debut: he delivered immediately in the key moment, showed good involvement, and looked a creative spark for Spurs. If he builds on it, it could mark the start of something very good under the new regime.
Potter’s questionable choices
Meanwhile, there’s obviously something not working very well at West Ham under Potter. One doesn’t need to look much further from their position in the Premier League table and their points tally after four rounds – even if it is early days yet.
Potter has done some notable tinkering with his lineup, starting the campaign with a three-at-the-back system and switching to 4-2-3-1 for what happened to be the only victory – a convincing one, too – so far, beating Nottingham Forest away ahead of the international break. It should, however, be said that Forest were in the middle of a turmoil at the time, with coach Nuno Espirito Santo facing the sack, to be eventually replaced by ex-Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.
Facing a strong opponent, one that seeks to dominate the contest, arguably requires a disciplined defensive midfielder, which neither Ward-Prowse nor Soucek are. Ward-Prowse, known for his passing and set-piece ability, likes to get on the ball and dictate play from deep more than to work off the ball, while Soucek notoriously enjoys making runs into the opposition box where his imposing 6’3” frame can do serious damage.
A player like Edson Alvarez was sorely missed in this game, and it’s hard not to question the club’s decision to allow the Mexico international to leave over the summer. Soungoutou Magassa and Guido Rodriguez were certainly options – Magassa replaced Matheus Fernandes after Soucek’s dismissal, but at that point, the ship had already begun to sink.
But what’s even more intriguing is Potter’s decision to start Paqueta as the focal point of attack, leaving both Fullkrug and Wilson on the bench. Fullkrug joined the club as a notable attacking reinforcement last summer and Wilson arrived six weeks ago as a worthy backup option, and yet, they were left watching until Wilson got his chance in the 68th minute – if it can be called a chance, given that his team were already a man and three goals down.
Table rankings
Be that as it may, there’s no escaping the fact that West Ham are now inside the relegation zone, in 18th place with three points from four matches. Speaking after the game, Potter said he understood the anger of the supporters, but he definitely needs to get grips with the fact that his job now on the line and the pressure is mounting. If the Hammers’ form doesn’t pick up quickly, a change in the dugout will be more than likely.
Satisfactory results at home against Crystal Palace next week and away to Everton the week after are now a must, especially with the fact in mind that the short trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal comes after that.
Meanwhile, things are going in a completely opposite direction for Spurs. Frank seems to have gotten off to a great start at his new club, and following Saturday’s matches, his team are in second place with nine points, equal to North London rivals Arsenal at the top, reigning champions Liverpool in third, and Bournemouth in fourth place. However, Liverpool are yet to face Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday and could overtake them all again by the end of the day.
But Frank surely has other things on his mind right now. His team start their Champions League campaign next week as the Europa League winners, and it’s La Liga side Villarreal who come to London on Tuesday evening. After that, Spurs travel to face Brighton at the Amex.
