Thursday 3 March 2016 12:25, UK
Tottenham missed the chance to go top of the Premier League as West Ham ended their six-game winning streak thanks to Michail Antonio's first-half header at Upton Park.
Antonio's strike was his fourth in a row at the Boleyn Ground and came from a Dimitri Payet corner after just seven minutes. Spurs rallied in the second half but they were unable to find an equaliser as the Hammers moved within a point of fourth-placed Manchester City.
Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Swansea means Spurs are still three points clear of the Gunners going into Saturday's north London derby, but it still represented a disappointing setback for Mauricio Pochettino's men. From the Hammers' high pressing to the central midfield battle, we look at how Slaven Bilic's men got the better of the Lilywhites…
High pressing
West Ham gave Tottenham a taste of their own medicine in a dominant first half, with Bilic instructing his players to pressurise their opponents and force mistakes high up the pitch. Spurs were unsettled by the aggressive approach, with the opening goal coming after a panicked back-pass allowed Manuel Lanzini to win the corner.
Spurs repeatedly lost possession as a result of West Ham's pressing, and their struggles were reflected in their overall passing accuracy of just 74.14 per cent - their third lowest of the season so far and way down on their usual average of 80 per cent. In the first half alone, they only completed 71.80 per cent of their passes.
Slaven Bilic says Tottenham were 'lucky' only to lose 1-0 at Upton Park.
Both Tottenham centre-backs were yellow carded as they struggled with West Ham's first-half intensity, and the hosts' approach was summed up by Emmanuel Emenike's industrious performance up front. The Nigerian striker made his presence felt right up until his 73rd-minute withdrawal, and he was inches away from stealing the ball from Hugo Lloris on three separate occasions.
Three at the back
Bilic also sprang a surprise with West Ham's formation, as James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna and Cheikou Kouyate formed a back three, with Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio playing as wing-backs and offering support at both ends of the pitch.
The three centre-backs made life difficult for the isolated Harry Kane, who had the fewest touches of any Spurs player in the first half (16) and miscued his only two scoring opportunities after the interval. Pochettino's men did not muster a single effort on goal until the 50th minute, and their total of two shots on target was their lowest of the entire season.
West Ham's task was made harder when James Collins was forced off with an injury midway through the second half, but substitute Reece Oxford filled in ably despite Spurs piling on the pressure in the closing stages.
Payet magic
As well as being solid at the back, West Ham were aided by another stellar performance from Payet on the left-hand side of their attack. The Frenchman gave Spurs right-back Kieran Trippier a torrid time in the first half, and there were plenty of step-overs and no-look passes to delight the Upton Park crowd.
Payet set the tone for the evening with a wicked corner in the opening minutes, and his delivery was brilliant throughout. In total, he fashioned five scoring opportunities for his team-mates, including the pinpoint assist for Antonio's goal. He has now created 76 chances this season, putting him behind only Mesut Ozil and Christian Eriksen in the Premier League.
Winning the midfield battle
Tottenham badly missed the injured Mousa Dembele in central midfield, with Ryan Mason and Eric Dier struggling to control proceedings in the middle of the park. Indeed, it wasn't until Dele Alli's emergence from the bench midway through the second half that they began to get on top of West Ham.
For the Hammers, Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang worked tirelessly. The duo could be seen crowding out Eric Dier on the edge of his box in the first half, and Premier League tracking data showed Noble covered more ground (11.85km) than any of his team-mates.
The Englishman also forced Hugo Lloris into a save with one powerful drive from a Payet cut-back, while Obiang effectively broke up Tottenham's attacks, making eight successful tackles in total.
While West Ham will be hoping to mount a top-four challenge after this win, Tottenham's task is to get their title charge back on track against Arsenal on Saturday.
