It was hardly surprising that Tottenham dominated possession. West Ham’s strategy is geared towards absorbing pressure, and as the game remained deadlocked at 1-1, David Moyes was less inclined to urge his team to take risks in pursuit of a goal that could solidify their hold on seventh place.
Moyes, likely drawing from his pragmatic approach, may have desired a display of staunch defending following West Ham’s recent collapse against Newcastle. The Scotsman emphasized the importance of “resilience,” lamenting Michail Antonio’s missed opportunity on the hour mark. He expressed satisfaction in limiting Spurs’ clear chances, stating, “We had to defend,” and acknowledged that a draw was a fair outcome. “But that’s part of football,” he added.
Both managers adopted philosophical perspectives. While Moyes refrained from making substitutions, possibly still haunted by past experiences, Ange Postecoglou made five changes. The Spurs manager recognized the need for an extra push in the attacking third, especially as his team now sits two points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa. Disappointed with their lack of creativity after West Ham equalized through Kurt Zouma, Postecoglou noted, “They sit deep and make it difficult,” acknowledging the challenge posed by the opposition’s defensive setup.
The discussion initially revolved around whether a counterattacking team could thrive without a solid defensive foundation. West Ham’s recent defensive lapses, with just one clean sheet in the league in 2024, have been a source of frustration for Moyes. Tottenham exploited these vulnerabilities early on, capitalizing on gaps in West Ham’s defense to score after five minutes.
James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek failed to close down James Maddison, allowing the playmaker space to operate. West Ham missed the presence of their suspended midfield enforcer, Edson Álvarez, whose absence left them vulnerable. Álvarez’s absence was particularly evident in his potential role in thwarting Maddison’s isolation of Timo Werner against Vladimir Coufal.
It was a mismatch. Werner went down the outside and Coufal, who struggled against Newcastle’s wingers last weekend, could not stop the forward from teeing up Johnson for a simple finish from close range.
The following 10 minutes proved uncomfortable for West Ham. Indecision crept in, and Spurs nearly capitalized on an intense high press. Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min came close to scoring after errors from Lucas Paquetá and Coufal.
However, West Ham had shown promise even at 0-0, with Jarrod Bowen narrowly missing the target after Porro lost possession to Mohammed Kudus. Their physicality unsettled Spurs, with Paquetá even getting involved by interrupting his flair to halt Maddison.
By the time it was 1-1, West Ham had already threatened. Their equalizer came when Spurs failed to clear a corner. Bowen, active on the right flank, initiated the opportunity by charging past Destiny Udogie. The visitors faltered as England winger lifted the ball into the six-yard box. Antonio’s presence pinned Guglielmo Vicario to his line, Micky van de Ven was caught ball-watching, and no one challenged Zouma.
This goal injected energy into West Ham, evident as Ward-Prowse’s free-kick tested Vicario, but they found themselves on the back foot occasionally. Johnson’s pace posed a threat, and Maddison remained influential. Postecoglou praised Yves Bissouma’s performance in midfield, describing it as outstanding.
West Ham came out with intent at the start of the second half, with Antonio forcing a fine save from Vicario following slack play from Rodrigo Bentancur. Paquetá’s shot narrowly missed the target.
Despite West Ham’s attempts, possession heavily favored Spurs. West Ham opted to sit deep, looking for opportunities on the counterattack. One such chance arose on the hour mark, but Antonio’s shot went straight at Vicario after he latched onto Ward-Prowse’s pass and outmuscled Van de Ven.
Spurs resumed their dominance in possession, but struggled to breach West Ham’s defense. Maddison was substituted for Dejan Kulusevski as West Ham, winless in four league games, held firm, hoping for a chance on the break. In added time, Bowen, Paquetá, and Kudus had glimpses of goal.
Moyes appeared satisfied with the solid performance from his center-backs, Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos. West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had little to do.
Spurs registered 12 shots, with one particularly notable opportunity for Udogie in the last minute of added time, but only managed four shots on target. Both teams lacked a clinical touch in front of goal.