LONDON.Tottenham stormed back to defeat West Ham 4-1 on Saturday, scoring three goals in a whirlwind eight-minute spell in the second half, easing the sting of their recent collapse against Brighton.
The match was level at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Mohammed Kudus’s early goal for West Ham canceled out by an impressive strike from Dejan Kulusevski.
But the game took a dramatic turn early in the second half. Tottenham surged ahead with goals from Yves Bissouma, an own goal by West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, and a fourth by Son Heung-min, putting the contest out of West Ham’s reach.
This victory, Tottenham’s third in four Premier League matches, lifted Ange Postecoglou’s side to sixth place ahead of the day’s later games, while piling pressure on West Ham’s new coach, Julen Lopetegui.
The result provided a much-needed boost for Spurs, coming after their 3-2 loss to Brighton, where they squandered a 2-0 lead just before the international break.
“The second half was outstanding from the lads — great energy, great goals, and good football. We probably could have created even more,” said Postecoglou, the Spurs manager. “That’s what you want to see at home. The crowd played their part… We’ve missed chances earlier this season, but today we took them, and if we keep doing that, we’ll be hard to stop.”
Tottenham had the upper hand from the outset, but West Ham remained competitive in an open, exciting contest. West Ham came close when Jarrod Bowen’s break down the right set up Kudus, whose shot was well saved by Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min came close soon after, but it was West Ham who struck first. Kudus, scoring for the second game in a row, found the net in the 18th minute after more good work by Bowen, giving the visitors an unexpected lead.
Spurs pushed back, with Brennan Johnson missing a header and Areola making a sharp save from a deflected Pedro Porro shot. Tottenham finally got their equalizer in the 36th minute, with James Maddison setting up Kulusevski, whose shot bounced off both posts before crossing the line.
Tottenham’s dominance was evident, as they won 12 corners in the first half compared to just two for West Ham.
In a surprise move, Postecoglou replaced Maddison with Pape Sarr at the break, a decision that quickly paid off. Son’s clever pass found Destiny Udogie, who set up Bissouma for Spurs’ second goal in the 52nd minute.
Lopetegui was preparing a triple substitution when disaster struck for West Ham, as Areola’s own goal, following more brilliance from Son, made it 3-1 just three minutes later.
Son added Tottenham’s fourth on the hour mark, racing onto Sarr’s through ball and beating defender Jean-Clair Todibo before slotting past Areola.
Son, returning from a hamstring injury, nearly made it five moments later, striking the post as West Ham struggled to respond.
Kudus was sent off in the final minutes after a VAR review for his role in a late scuffle, capping a miserable day for West Ham, who have managed just two wins in their eight Premier League matches so far this season.