Michail Antonio fires West Ham to victory and inflicts first defeat on Tottenham at new home

Michail Antonio celebrates scoring West Ham's winner against Tottenham
Michail Antonio celebrates scoring West Ham's winner against Tottenham Credit:  Action Images

In the fading minutes of the first defeat for Tottenham Hotspur at their new stadium, the away fans seized upon one more opportunity to wring some extra misery out of the occasion for their hosts with that old chant about a new ground erasing the soul of a club.

The West Ham fans sang “You’re not Tottenham anymore”, repurposing an observation that they have often made about themselves since their relocation to Stratford although on this occasion it felt like they had misread it. Defeats like these – unexpected, inconvenient, embarrassing – were exactly what defined Spurs in the many years before they were transformed into Champions League contenders by Mauricio Pochettino.

After the Champions League quarter-final triumph, and the seamless reintroduction to their gleaming new home on Tottenham High Road, this was a game in keeping with an old Spurs tradition. The worry for Pochettino is how he might reverse its effects. 

His team go into Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Ajax Amsterdam having lost a game they should have won and everyone could see that his players were struggling to recapture their sparkle.

Defeat by West Ham, the club who seized the poisoned chalice of the Olympic Stadium from Spurs all those years ago, may one day be regarded as a blip in a historic season for Pochettino. Although for the time being it hinted at some of the problems that he will face as he prepares his players for two legs against a Dutch side whose preparations have benefited from the postponement of domestic fixtures.

Michail Antonio saddles up in celebration of his goal
Michail Antonio saddles up in celebration of his goal Credit: Action Images

Harry Kane watched from a seat near the bench as Spurs finished the game with Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen labouring in attack. Pochettino said later that Harry Winks would not be fit to play in the first leg against Ajax, while Moussa Sissoko’s readiness will be a later call. Former Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen missed this game with fatigue – he will be ready for Tuesday – and perhaps he might have got a foot in the way of Michail Antonio’s winner.

To West Ham’s enterprising attacker goes the honour of the first goal scored by an opposition player at the new ground, so too the first celebration mimicking the riding of an imaginary space-hopper. Or at least that was one pre-watershed interpretation of whatever it was Antonio was doing. Manuel Pellegrini was later asked about the thrusting, bouncing choreography from his player and the Chilean, not exactly famous for his sense of humour, decided to ignore that part of the question altogether.

The result did not help Spurs’ ambitions to secure third or fourth place for the Champions League next season, a giant slow-motion stumble for the line between four clubs whose form seems to be deserting them. They remain third with two to play and Chelsea and Manchester United up against each other today, when Arsenal face Leicester City. Spurs should finish in the top four, but it was impossible to ignore the deflation in Pochettino.

He was careful not to criticise his players, and reflected the game accurately when he said that Spurs had enjoyed the best of the first half before West Ham came back rejuvenated after the break. “The feeling for everyone has changed quickly,” Pochettino said. “After [beating] Brighton, everyone had a very good feeling, ‘Fantastic season and we are going to arrive in our best condition [for the semi-final]’. But after our defeat it’s like we will arrive the complete opposite.”

He played Juan Foyth at right-back and the Argentine was targeted in the first half when Felipe Anderson had some joy down that flank. In midfield Mark Noble was outstanding alongside Declan Rice and Robert Snodgrass. They weathered the best of what Spurs had to throw at them and could have scored more in the closing stages when both Antonio and Issa Diop went clear on the counterattack and forced good saves out of Hugo Lloris.

Pellegrini said that his team had come close before to a big result such as this against one of the ‘Big Six’. “With Arsenal we played very well in both games, with Manchester United also. Against Chelsea in the second part of the second game and at home we played well. Now it is Tottenham. We lost 1-0 at home in a very tight and close game. Today we won. We demonstrated that we are able to play as a big team and they [the big teams] must demonstrate they are better.”

Even so, after a run of three defeats and then that draw Leicester secured in the last minute, this was arguably West Ham’s most eye-catching result of the season. In the centre of defence, Diop and Fabian Balbuena were reunited to great effect, the latter just managing to scoop the ball off the goal-line in time added on at the end when Janssen headed in Foyth’s cross. The former Spurs academy boy, Ryan Fredericks, capped a fine performance with a crucial tackle on Ben Davies after 74 minutes.

The only goal of the game had come earlier when Marko Arnautovic chipped a cross in from the right wing, Antonio took it on his chest and buried a shot past Lloris while holding off Davinson Sanchez. Arnautovic had looked a little off the pace in the first half but that cross alone justified his inclusion and whatever it was he came off with later, Pellegrini said it was not serious.

Remarkably this was Spurs’ 12th defeat of a league season in which they remain third for now. Asked about the rest afforded Ajax this weekend, Pochettino shrugged. “These are the circumstances. We can’t change that.”

He said that his players’ effort had been exceptional and, of course, he is right but there must now be concern at quite what kind of Spurs will show up on Tuesday.

                                                                                                    

Full time

West Ham, the first visiting team to win at the Emirates, become the first to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Thoroughly deserved, too. Issa Diop is Alan Smith's man of the match but it could have been Fredericks, Balbuena, Noble, Snodgrass, Antonio or Felipe Anderson. My word they are flaky. Against Everton West Ham looked spineless. Today they were magnificent. 

90+4 min

Foyth keeps going and going up the right and chips a cross beyond the far post. Janssen stretches to get there and directs his header inside the near post but Balbuena hacks it clear. And that is that. 

90+2 min

Tottenham have four added minutes to preserve their unbeaten record at their new home. West ham so far have done well to pen them in their own half. A long ball up by Spurs is headed on by Llorente. Son can[t get there but the clearance arrives awkwardly at Janssen who scuds his volley at Fabianski. 

90 min

Great defending by Sanchez who keeps pace with Antonio having been nutmegged by the West Ham forward. He turns quickly and sprints back to strong-arm him off the ball before he pulled the trigger. 

88 min

At last a photograph of Antonio's goal:

Antonio scores for West Ham Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant

 And Spurs make a decent chance to equalise when Llorente dribbles in from the left and squares a pass through the six-yard box inches ahead of Janssen and Son. 

86 min

Fredericks is booked for timewasting for dawdling at a throw-in. Diop intercepts a Sanchez pass 30 yards inside his own half and proceeds on an Alan Hansen gallop up the field, No one can catch him as he tacks left then right and approaches the box. When he gets there he shoots, almost apologetically, and it is quite tame though precise and Lloris fingertips it round the post. 

85 min

Tottenham substitution: Alli departs, Wanyama replaces him. West Ham take Noble off and send on Ogbonna. 

84 min 

The crowd yells at Eriksen to shoot from 25 yards but plays it down the left instead. Dele Alli moves it on to Davies whose long cross does not dip in time for Llorente who would have required a giraffe's neck to meet it. 

83 min

One corner begets another when Sanchez knocks the first behind. The second is defended at the near post and eventually hustled up field. 

82 min

Spurs, committing eight forward in pursuit of the equaliser, are caught by a ball over the top for Antonio to chase. He hares towards the box and lets fly with a belting shot that Lloris slaps over. Corner. 

81 min

Arnautovic twanged his hamstring when digging out that shot from under his feet and has to go off. Lucas Perez replaces him. 

79 min

Antonio, Felipe Anderson and Arnautovic play neat triangles up the right, reinforced by Obiang and Fredericks. They take their time and pick the moment, Felipe Anderson crossing long beyond the back post for Noble who tees up Arnautovic who drags Sanchez to the left, spins and curls a shot towards the bottom right corner. Lloris dives and catches it. 

78 min

Erikse whips a right-foot inswinger to the near post and Fredericks heads it off the line. 

76 min

West Ham substitution: Snodgrass departs after a fine contribution, Pedro Obiang comes on. Tottenham change: Vincent Janssen replaces Danny Rose and immediately earns a corner with a cross that is blocked. 

75 min

Excellent covering tackle from Fredericks, covering behind his centre-backs, to thwart Alli. A minute earlier Llorente had got in behind the defence but was offside by half a yard. .  

72 min

No goal photos yet but here's Antonio's celebration. Smelling salts to the ready for those who need them. 

Antonio's joy Credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

 

70 min

Tottenham won't change their approach but West Ham will use Rice and Noble from deeper positions. Antonio's running in from the right and Arnautovic's switching with him have created all sorts of problems this half for Tottenham.  

67 min

They've deserved it and it's a fantastic goal. Arnautovic, who has woken up this half, scoops a cross in from the right to the near post. Antonio takes it on the chest then thumps a shot in the tightest of spaces over Lloris and into the roof of the net from an angle more acute than 45 degrees. Antonio celebrates with a lewd dance that would have been even more bawdy had he been wearing a codpiece. 

GOAL!!

Tottenham 0-1 West Ham (Antonio)

66 min

First substitution: Tottenham replace Lucas Moura with Fernando Llorente.

64 min

Fredericks blindsides Alli, who was running forward nonchalantly thinking he was not being stalked, and wins the ball in the centre-circle. West Ham free Masuaku on the overlap down the left and he whips in a vicious cross that Arnautovic cannot reach. 

63 min

Very end-to-end this half. West Ham have had three attempts on target, more than any visiting team in the short life of this new stadium. 

60 min

West Ham break after a Spurs free-kick cannons into the wall, Diop taking it in the face. Felipe Anderson skates forward, supporting Antonio who brings the ball forward in a penetrative direct thrust. His shot is blocked and then Felipe Anderson, judiciously placed, smacks the rebound into a defender and out for a corner, which they waste. 

58 min

Barnstorming run through the middle from Davies. He makes 20 yards to the D, with a hippy hippy shake then lays it off to his left. Lucas Moura passes it to the other side of the box to Son who tries to bring it back on to his left and falls over under Diop's challenge, looking for a penalty that would have been scandalous. They do test the referee's patience.  

55 min

West Ham are playing well but in danger of being picked off on the break. Twice in the past two minutes promising moves have broken down and Son and Alli have raided forward. They have managed to squeeze them out of space do far but they have to keep concentrating.  

Rice has a crack Credit: John Walton/PA

 

53 min

Sanchez shoves Felipe Anderson over as he was covering behind Foyth. Free-kick on the left, about 35 yards from goal. Snodgrass curls it in menacingly but West Ham are penalised for a push before they can take advantage of it. 

51 min

Arnautovic  cuts in from the right, again with a velvety touch to cushion the pass, glides towards the centre before firing a low shot too straight and Lloris can drop to his knees to gather it. 

50 min

Snodgrass takes this one with more whip and dip. Sanchez cranes his neck to head it clear. 

49 min

Snodgrass takes but hits the first defender. West Ham throw-in, delivered to Noble who turns Eriskendpwn by the corner flag and is tripped. Free-kick. 

47 min

Excellent work from Noble, a sumptuous pass out to the right for Arnautovic, who controls it, sprints towards the box then lays it off to the 18-yard line where Fredericks arrives to bludgeon a right-foot shot on target. Alderweireld raises his right leg to deflect it behind for a corner. 

46 min

No changes but Fernando Llorente has been warming up all through the interval. 

This season's derby form suggests Tottenham will find a way

 

Half-time

Just on the stroke of time, Felipe Anderson blasts a low shot from 30 yards, aiming for the bottom right that strikes Alderweireld, blocking on the half turn,  on the scalf. It diverts the ball to Lloris's right but the keeper has time to adjust and scramble the other way. Had it hit bone instead of the fleshy part, it would have come quicker at him and he may not have been so fortunate. 

44 min

Alli dives looking for a free-kick after losing control as he dribbled through the D. As the ball rolled away he brushed his foot against a defender''s and went sprawling. West Ham want his name to be inscribed in the book but Anthony Taylor gives him the benefit of the doubt. 

43 min 

Son stands on Snodgrass's foot after the West Ham midfielder had played his pass. His ire at his earlier booking is stoked by the injustice of Son getting away scot free with a gratuitous foul. Then Antonio hounds Rose, Davies and Eriksen alon, like a terrier, and feels aggrieved when he's penalised for challenging Davies. 

41 min

Lloris sometimes appears to be wearing clown shoes with his clearances this season and here's another occasion when he slices an unpressured pass into touch.  

Snodgrass protests Credit: Alastair Grant/AP

 

39 min

Tottenham are nearly in again on the right but Foyth lacks the composure to find Son when he storms into the box from the right and scuffs a pass beyond him. 

37 min

Chance for Lucas Moura after a mistake by Diop who had intercepted a cross then tried to dribble out of his box. His offload, flicked with the outside of his foot, is picked off by Eriksen, who threads it down the inside-right channel for Lucas Moura to shoot. Fabianski rushed out and bent his knees to go low and the Brazil forward shot flush into his chest.  

36 min

Son  sashays into the box after taking Eriksen's pass but snatches at a shot that he had taken too close to Balbuena. 

34 min

Breathless from both sides so far. Felipe Anderson is frolicing in the space behind Foyth and Antonio also frees him with a 60-yard diagonal chip that skips on too quickly and give sLloris a chance to grab it first. Right idea, wrong execution. 

32 min

Tottenham have two great targets for their forward passes when Lucas Moura and Son split but the precision in attempts to get it up to them during this past 10 minutes has been Awol. 

30 min

Dier's passing has been poor so far and here is picked off for a second time. West Ham are battling tenaciously in midfield and Noble and Rice covering an awful lot of ground. 

28 min

Snodgrass protests his booking, awarded for a mistimed sliding tackle on Lucas Moura. Again they defend the kick well. Not sure why he bothered to complain. Habit? Convention? It was indisputable. 

26 min

A lapse from Rice, confused about who he's supposed to pick up, allows Lucas Moura to flood into the space he leaves and whelp a low right-foot shot across goal and behind. It missed by a good 4ft at least. 

24 min

Diop blocks Son's shot in the D after a slick one-two with Lucas Moura. Son had tacked in from the left and played a wall-pass with his team-mate but Diop did well to slide in even if the shot looked off target. West Ham defend the corner but cannot get out of their half.  

22  min

Foyth controls a blunt-force pass well and knocks it inside to Eriksen who passes on to Son. Rose, steaming towards the box, is played in by Son but Fredericks does his tracking job with diligence and as his opponent shapes to shoot, gets a toe to it and diverts it on to Rose's knee and behind for a goal-kick.

20 min

Antonio's electric run was set up by a poor Alli pass picked off by Snodgrass and an astute pass from  the Scot, Pellegrini's bets renovation project of the season. 

19 min

Lovely from Felipe Anderson who takes the ball past Foyth as if he isn't there with a feint, swerve and immaculate control. But his shot, from a tight angle, scuds into Lloris. 

17 min

Fredericks hazards a shot from 28 yards after galloping forward and Lloris gets his angles wrong and pushes it behind for a corner. Had  he raised his hands and let it pass it would have missed by 6ft. Antonio wins the header from the corner but can't direct it to threaten goal. 

16 min

Tottenham have seized control of midfield. 

13 min

Now Alli gets free down that inside-left channel. Eriksen chips a 30-yard pass over the top and Alli bullocks on to it, cuts back on to his right and tries to bend a shot into the top corner but Diop recovered well to block. All three action shots that have landed so far feature Rose and Noble. Sounds like a detective agency.

Moonlighting 2019 style Credit: DAVID KLEIN/REUTERS

 

11 min

Sharp save from Fabianski from Son. Great pass from Alli split the channel between Fredericks and Balbuena and Son raced past them and on to it. Picking his head up, Son tried to squeeze a left-foot shot under the keeper from 12 yards from an angle of about 225 degrees. He hit it hard enough but Fabianski dropped smartly to his right to block and smother. 

9 min

Lucas Moura spins in the centre-circle and hares forward. He slips a pass with his outstep out to Son on the right then careers straight into Rice who couldn't get out of the way. Tottenham free-kick 35 yards out that West Ham defend competently. 

7 min

Alderweireld tries for a route one up to Son who has slipped between Diop and Balbuena but he puts too much on to it and it skips into Fabianski's grasp. 

5 min

Son takes a difficult pass and half-controls it so it bounces in front of him and bludgeons a half-volley over the bar. It wouldn't sit down properly so had to hit it when it would have been almost impossible to get his knee over it and keep it down. 

4 min 

Rose loses the ball in central midfield and Snodgrass snaps on to his mistake and shifts the ball over to the right. Fredericks combines with Antonio takes it on but Davies stops him. Lively start from West Ham. 

3 min

Tottenham are playing with a flat back four with Foyth at right-back and Rose on the left of a compact three in midfield. 

1 min

We're off. The one disadvantage of Tottenham's new stand is the high main camera position. The angles are all wrong. Felipe Anderson goes up the left, turns Foyth and lays it back to Snodgrass. Alderweireld races out to block his shot which rebounds to Rice at the edge of the D who smashes a right-foot shot over the bar.  

Julian Dicks on Spurs

From two years ago:

I hate Tottenham — I’m West Ham, and I don’t like Tottenham

People might have a go at me, but it’s true. You have got ­Birmingham and Villa. You’ve got Liverpool and Everton. But West Ham hate Tottenham. It’s true to say they really do.

I’m not sure it’s the other way round. But for the supporters and for me, as a player, I hated Tottenham. Just to beat them is a good ­feeling.

So the earlier hypothesis that it had diluted a little in the past five years seems to have been wide of the mark.  

Tottenham are donating to and publicising Noah's Ark Hospice today

Pellegrini on the derby

We are conceding too many goals, but I am happy with the way we played the last two games and hopefully we can win this game. I am confident that if we repeat the game we played at Manchester United, we can win today.

Pochettino on Vertonghen's absence

Vertonghen is out of the squad, he has big fatigue and today would be a massive risk to play with him. But we rotate because I think the best starting XI is the one we have today. We know this is a derby, and means more than a game. They are a very good team and we must be focused. It is going to be tough.

And now for those of you watching black and white

Tottenham Hotspur Lloris; Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Foyth, Dier, Alli, Rose; Eriksen; Son, Lucas Moura.
Substitutes Gazzaniga, Trippier, Walker-Peters, Wanyama, Skipp, Llorente, Janssen.

From genesis to revelation, the next generation will be Credit: REUTERS/David Klein

West Ham United: Fabianski, Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku, Rice, Antonio, Noble, Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Arnautovic.
Substitutes Adrian, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Obiang, Wilshere, Lucas Perez, Chicharito.

Referee Anthony Taylor (Wythensahwe).

Good afternoon

And welcome to live coverage of the match between third-placed Tottenham and, 27 points behind them, West Ham in 11th. Where does this rate in the London rivalry stakes. Way behind West Ham v Millwall, Arsenal v Tottenham, Spurs v Chelsea, obviously.  But where vis a vis Chelsea v West Ham, Arsenal v West Ham and Arsenal v Chelsea? Feisty but less needle than five years ago?

Anyway, the teams are out and here they are: 

Foyth to play at right wing-back as he did at the Etihad last week and Vertonghen misses out altogether with Ajax on their minds?

Zabaleta and Ogbonna drop to the bench for West Ham after the Leicester draw and  Fredericks and Diop come in.

 

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