Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 West Ham United
Spurs are through to the EFL Cup semi-finals and their fans are dreaming of a first trophy since they last won this competition in 2008. Meanwhile, it was a night of what might have been for David Moyes’ West Ham, who gave it a real go.
After a quiet start to the game, the two sides played out an explosive five-minute stretch which first saw Steven Bergwijn put the hosts ahead. And in the blink of an eye, after Jarred Bowen had hit back for the Hammers, match winner Lucas Moura gave Spurs a lead which they refused to surrender.
West Ham’s EFL Cup 2021 resultshave been impressive, beating Manchester City on the way to the quarter-finals, and they came close at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. But the Antonio Con2-2 draw with Liverpoolte era at Spurs is well underway. As manager of Chelsea, he was knocked out of this competition by West Ham in his first season in the Premier League, so this will be a sweet victory for him as he aims to end Spurs’ trophy drought in his debut season with the Whites.
Highlights of the game
Conte has got Spurs well organised at the back and they showed how dangerous they can be on the break in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, constantly getting behind the Reds defence. But this was a game where they needed to show their fans they can control a game, keep possession and put passes together to create openings.
And that’s just what they did to go ahead at the start of a frantic five minutes. With 29 minutes on the clock Pierre Emille Hojbjerg opened up the Hammers defence with a clever dribble, exchanging passes with Bergwijn, and when the chance opened up the Dutchman slid the ball into the corner with a deft finish.
West Ham are a confident side and they came out fighting. Tomas Soucek rose to direct two headers on target but Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris made two excellent fingertip saves.
But there was little the France keeper could do to stop West Ham’s equaliser. With top scorer Michail Antonio not able to join the squad, Moyes started with Jarred Bowen in an advanced position and he made his mark with a superb piece of skill to draw the Hammers level.
Spurs centre-back Eric Dier played out a weak clearance which Soucek seized upon. He passed to Manuel Lanzini, who found Bowen, who took a turn and fired past Lloris for the leveller.
But Conte was celebrating again when Bergwijn turned provider, working his way down the right and squaring for Lucas Moura to restore Spurs’ lead.
And then, in the second half, a Conte masterclass as Spurs managed the game expertly to give their fans a night to savour.
Key statistics
This was a professional display by Conte’s team, though David Moyes will feel his side did enough to win the game. The Hammers dominated possession and had more shots, 17 to ten and five to four on target.
But there’s only one stat that counts: Spurs 2 West Ham 1 – and the EFL Cup 2021 betting oddson a Conte trophy will start to fall.
What’s next?
Arsenal’s thundering 5-1 victory over Sunderland has made this an all-Premier League semi-final after Chelsea came through against Brentford on Wednesday night. And Spurs copped a London derby and a reunion for Conte against his old club Chelsea, while the Gunners face Liverpool.
Back in the Premier League, Spurs have a home game against Crystal Palace to look forward to. Ten points from the last four games has lifted Conte’s team up to seventh place in the Premier League table, six behind fourth-placed Arsenal and with three games in hand. The Eagles are in 11th having steadied themselves with four points from two games after a run of three consecutive defeats.
With just one win in five, West Ham have drifted out of the Champions League places and they have a chance to get a new winning run going with a home game against Southampton. The Saints are in the relegation mix which involves all the bottom half clubs. They are currently in 15th place and six points above the drop zone, but 18th placed Burnley have two games in hand. Southampton have drawn three and lost two of the last five and the Hammers will start as favourites. The Christmas schedule has plenty for SBOTOPfans to enjoy, with mouth-watering fixtures across all four of Europe’s major leagues and we look forward to bringing all the stats and action to you!
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
