Mauricio Pochettino did not celebrate his birthday in a style as Tottenham Hotspur lost for only the fourth time this season to West Ham United at Upton Park on Wednesday night.
West Ham stunned Spurs by going into an early lead, with Michail Antonio putting the Hammers in front after just seven minutes with a header. Antonio was allowed space to freely nod the ball into the back of the net from a corner beyond the reach of Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The goal dealt a serious blow to the Lilywhites’ Premier League title chances with only 10 more league games to be played out this season. The Englishman almost gave West Ham a second following a beautifully whipped in free kick from Dimitri Payet in the second half.
Tottenham went closest to finding their equaliser through Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane, with Alderweireld striking a powerful shot from range at Adrian, who palmed the ball into the path of Kane, only for the striker to be denied an easy tap-in by the Hammers keeper and his stretched out hand.
Spurs began to look a little more like themselves in the second half, with Keiran Trippier sending a teasing ball into the box, but Erik Lamela could not hit the target with the resulting header.
Tottenham looked sub-par for most of the game, a worrisome result in light of Arsenal’s defeat and Leicester’s draw.
With only ten games to go Mauricio Pochettino and his men will hope that this is just a blip on the way to their Premier League title.
Tottenham put too much pressure on themselves
Spurs went behind due to a series of mistakes. First, Nacer Chadli made a poor pass backward that led to the corner, compounded by the fact that Michail Antonio was unmarked and was allowed a free header past Lloris.
Funnily enough, Chadli was also the man that should have been marking Antonio. Spurs also went behind against Swansea and gave themselves a tough job to do. The game started at a very fast pace with either team needing to settle into a rhythm. However, it certainly made for entertaining football for the fans.
Harry Kane: He scores when he wants… almost
Spurs fans are always adamant, and probably with good reason, that Kane is always going to come to the rescue during their time of need. However, the last time Kane scored was against Manchester City on Valentine’s Day from the penalty spot.
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The goal before that on 2 February was also courtesy of a spot kick. The unlikely heroes recently have been Chadli, Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier. Tottenham are one of the highest scoring teams this season, thanks mainly to the depth they have in their squad, which is always a bonus, especially if you are fighting for the title. Kane is not just a goalscoring machine, but is also extremely useful in the build-up play.
Should Dele Alli have started?
Chadli was extremely effective when he came on against Swansea, scoring within minutes of jogging onto the pitch. Pochettino rewarded him with a place in the starting lineup, but was extremely ineffective.
The Belgian was kept on the pitch after half time, demonstrating Pochettino’s faith in him. Alli was eventually brought in on 64 minutes, with Spurs desperately searching for that equaliser.
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