West Ham United 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0
West Ham: Lanzini (65')
Man of the match: Manuel Lanzini (West Ham)
LONDON // Tottenham Hotspur need a miracle.
Friday’s 1-0 defeat by West Ham United leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s men four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea having played a game more. Back-to-back victories over Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion would be enough for Antonio Conte’s side to secure the title before Tottenham next play.
That would, needless to say, be an underwhelming way for their season to end. Second place is virtually guaranteed — Liverpool are eight points behind with nine left to play for — but Tottenham would have hoped, at the very least, to maintain their challenge until the final day.
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It would take a Chelsea implosion of astonishing proportions for that to happen now, but it is important to retain a sense of perspective. After all, Tottenham’s failure to finish top is hardly a failure at all.
Manchester United and Manchester City began the campaign as favourites to win the league, while Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool had title aspirations of their own.
All five clubs spent significantly more in the transfer market and on wages than Tottenham, who appeared set for a battle for the top four. In that light, ending the season as runners-up should — once the initial disappointment has subsided — be viewed as another step in the right direction.
This was an uncharacteristically flat performance from Tottenham, who struggled to get out of second gear at the London Stadium.
The visitors had plenty of possession throughout but struggled to penetrate West Ham’s defensive shape, with the hosts content to sit deep without the ball in a 5-4-1 formation.
Harry Kane sees his first half effort saved by Adrian but Tottenham rarely threatened. Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
The outcome may have been different had Mousa Dembele started rather than come off the bench in the second half. Tottenham missed his ability to effortlessly dribble past opponents in the centre of the park, as Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama struggled to progress the ball with the same effectiveness.
There were several sloppy moments at the back too, not least in the build-up to Manuel Lanzini’s winning goal in the 65th minute.
Kyle Walker, heavily linked with a switch to Manchester City in recent days, was poor at right-back, while Toby Alderweireld had one of his worse games since moving to Tottenham in the summer of 2015.
West Ham have endured a difficult first season at their new home, but this felt like the type of performance and result they have been waiting for. The atmosphere under the floodlights was excellent. A first major memory has been created.
Manuel Lanzini fires home the winner for West Ham. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
For this Tottenham team, the wait for a trophy goes on. Yet as their manager asserted in his post-match press conference, they can be satisfied after another year of overachievement.
“I’m disappointed, of course, because we missed an opportunity to reduce the gap to Chelsea,” Pochettino said.
“It wasn’t our best day. Maybe we didn’t deserve to lose ... but we conceded and then it was so difficult to try and come back into the game.
“Football is a game that you can win and you can lose. Unluckily for us, we lost today [but] I’ve not changed my vision of my team. I feel very proud.”
One point from their final three matches will be enough for Tottenham to secure their highest league finish since 1963.
Such an achievement will never be celebrated as much as a title triumph, but it is a clear sign of progress and further evidence of the brilliant job Pochettino has done in the last three years.
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