HAMMER BLOW
Could it get any worse? Antonio strikes and shattered Spurs get a nasty jolt as they prepare for historic Euro semi
IT could have been worse. It could have been Arsenal. But as West Ham’s Michail Antonio danced a modern jig along the byline at the Tot t e nham Hotspur St a di um, thrusting his hips energetically at those steepling new stands, violating the spotless memories Spurs have created so lovingly at their new home, it felt bad enough.
Antonio’s superbly taken secondhalf winner in front of thousands of West Ham fans who may have felt that their wildly fluctuating season was worth it just for this, meant that Spurs achieved a couple of less auspicious firsts ahead of their their debut appearance in a Champions League semi-final, against Ajax here on Tuesday.
Antonio’s strike was the first goal Spurs have conceded at t heir magnificent new stadium and when Anthony Taylor blew his whistle to signal full time and several Spurs players collapsed to the turf in disappointment and exhaustion, it marked their first defeat in the five games they have played here since the stadium opened, too.
The representatives of Ajax here to watch ahead of the semi-final first leg will have seen nothing to worry about here, although Spurs were so poor that the Dutch side will write the performance off as an aberration that will not be repeated. Spurs fans will have to hope they are right.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted after the game his team had looked tired and smiled thinly when he was reminded Ajax have had a week off. He said that Jan Vertonghen, missing yesterday, would be back for the Ajax tie. He said it was possible that Moussa Sissoko would be available, too. ‘We are going to be ready on Tuesday,’ Pochettino insisted.
Yet Spurs looked shattered. They looked as if a long season spread across two homes has caught up with them. After the interval, in particular, they were distinctly second best to their visitors, who were not flattered by the result and might have won by a wider margin, notwithstanding a last-minute goalline clearance by Fabian Balbuena from substitute Vincent Janssen.
Their defeat will give hope to the chasing trio of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United as the increasingly desperate battle for the last two Champions League spots reaches its climax. With games away at Bournemouth and at home to Everton remaining, Spurs are still in pole position but it is unlikely to stay like that if they do not improve on this.
Spurs did not play poorly in the first half but West Ham looked a lot better than a team who have taken one point from their last eight away fixtures. They have the talent in their ranks to be the best of the sides outside the top six.
They started brightly and after Mark Noble had a shot blocked, Declan Rice whistled a fierce drive from 25 yards just over the Spurs crossbar.
Spurs forced t he fi rst clear chance after 10 minutes when Dele Alli played a cleverly j udged through ball to Heung-min Son that put him clear of the West Ham defence. Son bore down on Lukasz Fabianski but instead of shooting across him, he tried to drill his shot in at the near post and the West Ham keeper saved smartly.
Christian Eriksen started to find his passing range and when he freed Alli down the left, Alli ignored Son’s run down the middle and his shot was blocked. Spurs continued to press and take advantage of the defensive failings of Felipe Anderson. When Davinson Sanchez played a short ball into Lucas Moura in the inside right channel, he spun and fired in a shot that beat Fabianski but sped inches wide.
There were times in the first half when Eriksen looked a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch, not just West Ham’s defenders but his
team-mates, too. Twice, he played perfect through balls for Son which seemed to catch the Korean by surprise. Alongside David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne, even in a match like this, Eriksen looks like one of the best creative midfielders in the League.
But 10 minutes before half time, he had a rare lapse. When West Ham failed to clear in their own area, the ball ricocheted to him near the byline. Alli was available in the middle and a cross would have left him a tap-in but Eriksen elected to shoot instead and Fabianski blocked it. Alli held his arms out wide in frustration.
West Ham produced moments of sublime individual skill: Noble shaped to play a first time ball down the line but let the ball run through his legs and fooled Ben Davies completely. Marko Arnautovic took down a high ball with a brilliant touch and hit a speculative shot from 35 yards that Hugo Lloris dealt with easily.
Spurs had a penalty appeal turned down when Son was baulked by Arthur Masuaku and midway through the second half, they paid for their spurned chances. Arnautovic drifted out to the right and floated a pass into Antonio, who controlled it on his chest and rifled past Lloris into the roof of the net.
It was the first goal Spurs had conceded at their new stadium and with eight minutes to go, they nearly went further behind. Antonio ran on to another through ball and lashed his shot goalwards but Lloris deflected it wide off his knee. It was the save David de Gea should have made in the Manchester derby from Leroy Sane but did not.
West Ham survived that lastminute effort by Janssen but a point would have been more than Spurs deserved. A win yesterday would have all but guaranteed them a Champions League place but now they will have to wait.
There is one other possibility, of course: Spurs could also qualify by winning the Champions League. After this, that seems like a farfetched idea but Spurs’ season has been full of peaks and lulls. They are capable of brilliant football. Stranger things have happened.