KANED BY ANTONIO
Harry’s still off his game as Hammers grab the glory
FLASH in a cross five yards from goal and who do you expect to react first, Michail Antonio or Harry Kane?
No disrespect to the West Ham veteran enjoying a rich Indian summer in his journeyman career around English football.
But surely you go for the World Cup and Premier League golden boot winner technically in the prime of his life?
Yet, when precisely that scenario came up in the 72nd minute, the 31-year-old Antonio pounced with the split-second reactions of a teenager to score the winning goal while the Tottenham talisman marking him stayed inexplicably rooted to the spot.
That pretty much highlights where Kane’s form is for Tottenham right now – missing at both ends of the pitch.
Furthermore, his failure to make any sort of impact in front of the West Ham goal pretty much explains why Spurs continue to struggle just when they look like they are finally grinding into gear.
On the back of two successive wins, their counter-attacking strategy allowed them to be largely dominant in the game. But they never looked like winning it.
However, a weak header from Lucas Moura straight into Lukasz Fabianski’s arms just before half-time, followed by a better effort from Kane which was pushed over the bar, was as much as Spurs threatened in the opening period.
Then some woeful final crosses failed to deliver even that in an increasingly disappointing second period. The moment when Tanguy Ndombele had been put through in the 11th minute, only to tread on the ball as he was tackled by Kurt Zouma, pretty much summed up their day.
Even West Ham were relying on halfchances to sneak three points, with Pablo Fornals bright in the opening exchanges.
Having missed a couple of early chances himself, the cross with which he picked out Tomas Soucek in the 35th minute really should have been converted by the Czech international at the far post.
Clearly Fornals was getting to Spurs, and an unnecessary challenge on the touchline by Christian Romero added some brief bluster into the game as players and substitutes jostled around each other for the obligatory squabble.
But the aggression coming from Tottenham was not in the least bit convincing.
They were one-paced, predictable, slow to build stages of the game and with the exception of Moura, totally risk-averse. They did not dare, and they did not do. West Ham, meanwhile – and nobody embodies this more than Antonio – are making the most of what they have.
Declan Rice was overwhelming in midfield while Zouma showed a dominance at the heart of defence that never quite emerged in his many years at Chelsea.
Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma buzzed mischievously around Tottenham defenders, making it hard for them to get out of their own half at times.
And Aaron Cresswell can deliver the sort of set piece he did 18 minutes from time. The moment when, quite simply, West Ham wanted it more.
Antonio’s celebration was exuberant as ever and when the final whistle finally arrived with Spurs doing very little to save the game, it was clear from Hammers boss
David Moyes’ reaction that this felt like a big win.
Even the London Stadium is finally beginning to come to life.
Nuno Espirito Santo desperately needs to find some way of doing the same for Spurs right now.