Tottenham Hotspur youngster Eric Dier has suggested that he would like to maintain his position in the heart of the club’s midfield after another promising showing against West Ham United.
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Mousa Dembele, the best of an excellent bunch, then slalomed past three Hammers and found Heung-Min Son, a Pochettino player if ever there was one, who fed Eriksen, with the Dane only denied by Adrian’s reflex save.
West Ham came so close to a spectacular equaliser when Kouyate crashed a brilliant overhead kick off the crossbar, although he should have been flagged for offside after Mark Noble’s blocked shot had looped into his path.
That was a foreshadow to the moment a minute later where Spurs would take the lead.
The visitors’ task became even tougher in the 33rd minute – Christian Eriksen’s corner finding Alderweireld, who had lost his marker Winston Reid, allowing the defender to head in simply from six yards out.
Kane admitted he should have had at least a hat-trick after wasting a glorious first-half opportunity with a poor left-footed finish but otherwise feels confident after making it 12 goals in 14 London derby appearances.
West Ham are still without their finest creative talent in Payet, while striker Valencia’s long-term layoff will continue.
Bilic’s side have already beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City away from home this season, and with the pressure on Spurs to control the game from the first whistle, West Ham should relish the challenge of hitting the hosts on the break. Manuel Lanzini’s step-over beat Walker and his powerful shot from the tightest of angles flew past Hugo Lloris.
Bilic said the extent to which his team had been outplayed had come as a “shock” and he urged his players to shake the game out of their system in time for next week’s clash with West Bromwich Albion.
Jamie Redknapp says Tottenham Hotspur aren’t good enough to win the Premier League title this season.
And Pochettino hailed the display as “amazing”, though is adamant his side won’t become complacent.
Kane, whose barren early-season return had suggested he could be suffering from “second season” syndrome after his magnificent exploits of 2014-15 when he scored 31 goals in all competitions, has mined a new, rich seam of form. “He’s 19 years old”, Pochettino said.
Man of the match Kane said on Sky Sports: “I enjoy the atmosphere of these games, especially when we’re at home”. Despite the depth that exists in the Hammers squad, he will be sorely missed by both them and the Premier League, which he has lit up since his summer arrival. We know it was a special game for the fans and for that reason it is more disappointing.’ Can anyone imagine the manager saying that a year ago? “We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing since the beginning of the season”.
What do you think Spurs’ lineup will be this weekend? “The crowd were incredible and they got right behind us”.
“It was a high level of performance”. “I never want to hide behind the excuse that players are missing because we have a good team”.
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Of course this was a hugely disappointing performance and result in what is arguably West Ham’s most important fixture and one which few would have seen coming based on recent performances.
