The key points as West Ham's top-four bid gained further momentum with victory over Spurs
- Seb Sternik
- 21 February 2021
Jesse Lingard making sweet music with Hammers; Mourinho sad as Tottenham's slide continues
Jose Mourinho made two half-time changes as he urged his side on. However, shortly after Gareth Bale and Matt Doherty entered the action, Spurs suffered another setback.
Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard continued his good form with his third goal in four games. The midfielder had to reserve his celebrations due to a VAR check but the goal stood and the Hammers had a two-goal cushion.
A 64th-minute reply from Lucas Moura gave Spurs hope and they pressed for an equaliser.
Ultimately though, their efforts went unrewarded and West Ham celebrated a memorable win.
Jesse Lingard scored what proved to be the winning goal
Fantasy stars
Jesse Lingard was also the big winner in Fantasy Football having picked up a total of 10 points. The midfielder played the full 90 minutes, scored the winning goal and received three bonus points on top of that.
Tottenham's Sergio Reguilon and Erik Lamela were the big losers of the day, scoring zero points. Both men received a yellow card and both were subbed off in the second half.
The pressure continues to grow on Jose Mourinho
From the managers
West Ham boss David Moyes told the BBC: "It is a great result for us. Today we felt it was a big, big task. Tottenham are one of the top sides and have fantastic players. For us to get a result and keep our momentum going is really good."
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports: "I feel sad, obviously. I feel the result should have been a different one from what we played especially in the second half. That is my feeling and a little bit of deja vu. Their defensive line was brilliant. Their centre-backs gave us a very difficult match. We started the game with a mistake and started the second half with another one."
Lucas Moura scored Tottenham's only goal of the game
Social zone
The Band Has Arrived🤩🔥🤫 pic.twitter.com/gAqA6BL5UI
— Declan Rice (@_DeclanRice) February 21, 2021
Gutted not to come away with anything today. On to the next one. pic.twitter.com/aj9pImQ6oR
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) February 21, 2021
What's next
It's now five defeats from six Premier League games for Jose Mourinho. Spurs will turn their attention to the Europa League this midweek. After that, three huge clashes await them. Burnley, Fulham and Crystal Palace are all games that Spurs should be winning or the pressure will be well and truly on.
West Ham, on the other hand, are going to end this week in the Champions League places. However, their next four games - against Man City, Leeds, Man United and Arsenal - will determine whether the Hammers can seriously challenge for a top-four finish.
Odds check
Despite West Ham lying in fourth, you can still get 9/2 with Paddy Power for them to still be inside the top four when the season ends. They currently enjoy a five-point cushion over Liverpool who are as short as 8/11 to finish in one of the top four places.
