Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Report and free highlights as Manuel Lanzini earns West Ham first Premier League point from three goals down since drawing against West Brom in 2011; Tottenham still looking for first home win after three games
Monday 19 October 2020 06:15, UK
Spurs endured a horrific three-goal, second-half collapse as Manuel Lanzini's last-minute stunner secured West Ham a 3-3 draw on Gareth Bale's Premier League return.
Spurs looked to have put the game beyond their visitors inside a quarter of an hour as they raced into a three-goal lead. Heung-Min Son scored a fine opener from Harry Kane's stunning pass with just 45 seconds played, before the two combined again for Kane's shot to nutmeg Angelo Ogbonna and wrong-foot Lukasz Fabianski (8).
West Ham were pulled apart every time Tottenham attacked early on, and Kane doubled his tally on the quarter-hour from Sergio Reguilon's back-post cross as they showed the confidence of their stunning wins at Southampton and Manchester United in recent weeks.
But after West Ham hung on until the break, they looked the better side throughout the second period as Spurs floundered, and despite Kane striking a post and Bale's introduction with 20 minutes to go, it was richly deserved when Fabian Balbuena's header from an Aaron Cresswell free-kick beat Hugo Lloris.
Spurs had given up a 3-0 lead to win 3-2 at the London Stadium last season and it looked like a case of deja vu when Davinson Sanchez headed beyond his own goalkeeper from Vladimir Coufal's cross.
This time, though, there would be no let-off. After clearing a 94th-minute free-kick seemingly to safety, a stunning drive from substitute Lanzini rattled in off the crossbar to earn West Ham a point and leave Tottenham stunned, and still searching for a first home win this season.
Tottenham's recent goal-glut on the road had yet to be replicated at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with only one in their two games against Newcastle and Everton, as well as a solitary point.
Any worries that run would continue looked to be extinguished with the game barely underway. There were just 45 seconds on the clock when the breakdown of West Ham's first attack saw Kane pick up the ball midway inside his own half, lift a stunning pass in to meet Son's run, and, after turning inside Balbuena he buried the ball inside Fabianski's far post.
David Moyes' return to the Hammers' dugout after his Covid-19-enforced absence got worse inside eight minutes, as Son and Kane combined yet again, to move within eight of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard's all-time record.
The South Korean forward picked up Coufal's clearing header before finding his strike-partner 25 yards out, and after nutmegging Declan Rice with his first touch, Kane did the same to Ogbonna with his shot moments later, leaving Fabianski unmoved as the ball nestled in his net.
This Tottenham side have shown their ruthless streak in recent games - scoring 11 against Manchester United and Southampton - and turned the screw early on as two became three with barely a quarter of an hour played.
Kane was the man to get it again, with Son again involved as his flick to Reguilon was perfect for the defender to whip in a cross to the back post which Kane rose above Cresswell with ease to bury and leave the game seemingly as good as over already.
West Ham owed Fabianski for putting his body where it hurts to avoid conceding a fourth before the break, when Son's sliding effort was denied at close quarters by the goalkeeper, but, having hung on without any further punishment at half-time, they missed the chance of the game to give themselves a lifeline after the interval.
Having already tested the Spurs defence when Arthur Masuaku fired well over from inside the box, Michail Antonio was given time to turn inside Toby Alderweireld and float in a centre which beat Lloris and just needed glancing in by an unmarked Pablo Fornals, who somehow arched his header over the bar from four yards at most.
Spurs continued to stutter as Sanchez blocked a Balbuena header on the line, before Jose Mourinho introduced Bale with 20 minutes to play as he looked to spark his side back into life. He came close when Kane wriggled into space outside the box and aimed for the far corner, but the woodwork came to Fabianski's rescue as his effort bounced away to safety.
Instead, Moyes was finally given something to cheer about on his return to the dugout eight minutes from time as Balbuena beat Moussa Sissoko to Cresswell's free-kick, before history repeated itself - nearly a year on from West Ham pulling back from 3-0 down to record a 3-2 defeat against Spurs in Mourinho's first game in charge.
Another cross, this time from Coufal, was inviting enough - but not for Sanchez, who clumsily nodded beyond Lloris to set up a nervous finish for the hosts.
Tottenham just survived on that occasion - but their luck ran out this time around.
After Bale had shown superb close control to beat Ogbonna before firing wide of the near post with the goal gaping, substitute Lanzini proved the surprise hero of the piece when latching onto a loose ball from Harry Winks with his thunderous 20-yard drive leaving Lloris with no chance as it crashed in off the crossbar.
West Ham's players and staff celebrated wildly on the pitch having completed a comeback no-one had seen coming, while stony-faced Spurs were left still seeking their first home win of the season after three attempts.
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho: "The context of the game, it was under control, we had Harry Kane to score the fourth when it hit the post, we had Gareth to kill the game also. The game was more with the space they were giving us, the game was more to the fourth goal than other things but that's football and we were punished.
"[At half-time] I said many things but I basically told them to keep it the same. I told them to be aware of lots of set-pieces that we have against us, which we knew they are very strong at.
"They are a team with huge guys and very powerful in the air. In Tomas Soucek, David has found his new (Marouane) Fellaini and he has lots of aerial power and in the end they were lucky. But in the end, they fought very hard to be lucky so I praise them."
West Ham manager David Moyes: "The half-time team-talk was actually really difficult because you're 3-0 down but I actually thought the team played really well, except for the opening five or 10 minutes. Probably the toughest decision was not to make any decision because it's always quite easy as a manager to feel like you have to make a decision and change things, but I didn't think we needed it, we were playing well enough.
"Obviously we'd given away three goals, which I couldn't believe. These things happen and I think it's the way football has been at the moment. We didn't defend well enough in the opening 10 minutes or so, but after that, I think we did a fairly good job.
"As a manager at times, it's very difficult to use the word 'proud' very often because there are moments that you get it, but I've got to say tonight was a really proud moment to be manager of the team because of how well they played, how well they kept at it, their honesty, they never gave in, they kept going. It's a big result and it's a local derby as well so hopefully the supporters will enjoy us getting back into it."
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
"I can't be too critical of Spurs really. When looking at the result without watching the game, the easiest thing to say is that Jose sat in when it was 3-0 and normally you'd see him bring on holding midfield players and try and be compact, make it difficult for the opposition and not really attack.
"But he brought Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Harry Winks on, who is a technical midfield player on if you like, so I actually think Jose will be in the dressing room now thinking, 'I wish I had blocked the game off and brought on more defensive subs'.
"I just think West Ham have been quite fortunate. I thought they were quite poor in the first half and they were much better second half, which was obvious it was going to happen because they couldn't be any worse. They get a great goal, an own goal and one from a set-piece and it just sums up the Premier League this season really.
"But I can't be overly critical of Spurs. I didn't see too many times when they were opened up by West Ham, not once in the first half and I don't remember it too much in the second half. Sometimes these freak games happen now and again in football, it just feels like they're happening every weekend in the Premier League at the moment.
"If you asked me if Tottenham's attacking players are good enough to win a league title, I'd say yes. I'm still not convinced that centre-back wise, they've got a real top centre-back, but how many teams have? We know about the news with Virgil Van Dijk, so Liverpool haven't got that.
"I think the title race this season is going to be up for grabs and could go anywhere really. With the games going forward, you would expect more consistency - it won't continue like this every week.
"But for Spurs, that is the one area they need to improve, defensively. It's been a while since they've kept a clean sheet and Jose is a manager who you associate with clean sheets. He'll be kicking himself now but I don't think it was down to his decisions in terms of sitting back."
Although let down in the final 10 minutes by his team-mates' atrocious defending, Kane continued his stunning form in front of goal, with 10 goals in his last 10 games for club and country after his double against West Ham.
But even with two finishes of such differing style to demonstrate he is a striker for all seasons, it was his assist for Son's opener which proved the most impressive. Already on to seven assists for the season now, five more than he contributed in 2019/20, his development into a creator as well as a goalscorer under Jose Mourinho, as detailed by Sky Sports' Nick Wright, continues.
Tottenham start their Europa League group campaign against LASK next up, hosting the Austrian side on Thursday; Kick-off at 8pm.
West Ham face a tough home game against Manchester City next Saturday; Kick-off at 12.30pm.
