The Malta Independent on Sunday
Spurs anguish as West Ham loss eases Chelsea’s path to title
Football
trating today because I didn’t recognise Tottenham. So it hurts even more today.”
It was only Tottenham’s fourth loss in 35 games this campaign, but the other setbacks came against more illustrious opposition: Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Chelsea has four games remaining - one more than Tottenham - and will capture its second title in three seasons by beating Middlesbrough tomorrow and West Bromwich Albion on Friday. Tottenham’s task now is holding on for its highest finish in 54 years in the remaining three games.
“To win a league, to win a trophy, there are key moments,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “And today was a key moment ... It’s not about always playing well or badly, it’s not about running more or less, it’s about when you must win you win.
“If you want to be a champion there are games you must win. How? I don’t know. In this match we missed it a little bit.”
Pochettino’s players were looking lethargic and were punished for their sloppiness in the 65th minute. Aaron Cresswell’s cross wasn’t cleared and Manuel Lanzini given space to pounce to score the only goal. It was the first time Tottenham had trailed in a league game in a month and the damage would have been heavier had Lloris not made a diving save to deny Jonathan Calleri.
“We missed a little bit that fluidity to play with possession and move the ball quicker to find the space and try to break them down,” Pochettino said.
The visitors could find no way back as West Ham celebrated a signature win in its troubled first season at the main stadium for the 2012 Olympics which Tottenham had tried to secure in a bitter battle that ended up in court.
West Ham turned on the style to foil a Tottenham side usually so energetic and menacing to ease any lingering relegation fears. The victory hauled Slaven Bilic’s team up six places to ninth in the standings after days of public debate about the manager’s future.
What proved costly for Tottenham were the dropped points in the opening months of the season. Tottenham was fifth in the standings after 18 games but has won 13 of its last 17 games to unexpectedly challenge Chelsea for the title, outmuscling biggerspending rivals with a wage bill lower than its rivals in the top six.
Now Tottenham is looking down again, holding an eightpoint lead over Liverpool with three games to go. Tottenham is still set for a second consecutive season in the Champions League for the first time. But for the second year in a row, the team’s title bid has faltered in the closing weeks of the season.
“I’m not really pleased with the way we played this game,” Lloris said before leaving the Olympic Stadium. “We didn’t put in the right energy, especially because of the context ... in the title race. It was not enough.”