October 24, (THEWILL) – After a hard-fought 1-0 Derby win over Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium, West Ham moved into the Premier League’s top four as the revolution at the Hammers under David Moyes continued to bring in results.
Michail Antonio was the hero once more, smartly turning home Aaron Cresswell’s superb out-swinging corner with just over 15 minutes remaining after both sides had toiled all game.
The hosts took the lead early on, seemingly building on their impressive Europa League win over Genk the night before the weekend.
Despite being the better team for the first 15 minutes, West Ham failed to create many clear-cut chances, with Pablo Fornals’ low drive being saved by Hugo Lloris being the closest they came to breaking the deadlock.
Spurs began to gain control of the midfield battle thanks to Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and after Lucas Moura had lofted a half-chance over the bar, Son Heung-min should have done better when firing meekly at Lukasz Fabianski.
That was a fortunate escape for the Hammers, and the visitors soon had one of their own, with Tomas Soucek somehow putting Said Benrahma devilish through ball to the centre wide of the post.
Spurs’ best chance of the half fell to Harry Kane, but Fabianski was alert to tip his firm header from Sergio Reguilon’s cross to maintain the Hammers’ slim lead.
The second half was a bit of a letdown, as neither team was able to generate much momentum. Fornals had the only real chance of note, but he was denied again by Lloris before Antonio broke the deadlock with a set piece.
The 31-year-old scored his sixth goal of the season, taking advantage of Tottenham’s sloppy zonal marking at the front post to leave Lloris helpless. It was enough for David Moyes’ team, as the toothless visitors were unable to trouble Fabianski once more.
While Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had more possession, they rarely created anything that could be described as a glaring opportunity. Their lack of creativity has seen them drop below West Ham to sixth place in the table, with only nine goals in as many league games.
David Moyes’ side makes it into the top four, at least for the time being.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
