West Ham go fourth with win over Tottenham

LONDON: West Ham United claimed fourth spot in the Premier League as goals early in each half by Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard earned them a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (Feb 21).

Their seventh win in their last nine league games moved West Ham two points above Chelsea in their mounting challenge for a Champions League spot, while Tottenham have slumped to ninth.

Antonio gave West Ham the perfect start when he fired past Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris in the fifth minute.

When Lingard doubled West Ham’s lead in the 47th minute with a goal initially disallowed for offside but awarded after a VAR check, it looked like a comfortable win for David Moyes’ side.

But Lucas Moura’s header gave Tottenham a lifeline and they pressed hard for an equaliser with substitute Gareth Bale lashing a shot against the crossbar.

West Ham had another lucky escape in stoppage time as a Vladimir Coufal clearance deflected back off Son Heung-min and struck the post.

Tottenham had 19 goal attempts to the four of West Ham, but were unable to prevent a fifth defeat in six league games.