Coco pops up again to sink Hammers!

In-form Erik Lamela won the London derby at West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

The Argentine attacker, in for his first league start of the season at the London Stadium, bagged his fifth goal in seven games, converting Moussa Sissoko's dangerous delivery shortly before half-time to give us a 1-0 win.

Hugo Lloris preserved our advantage after the break with two superb saves to deny West Ham hotshot Marko Arnautovic, while centre-back Davinson Sanchez stepped up when we needed him most to help us withstand a late Hammers onslaught, notably combining with Lloris to thwart Arnautovic when he wriggled through on goal in stoppage time.

It means we've now won seven out of nine in the Premier League ahead of our return to Champions League action at PSV in midweek.

The first half belonged to us as we gradually applied more and more pressure on the Hammers' box. West Ham did force a trio of corners in the opening exchanges but Lucas Moura was there at the near post each time to deal with it while defender Toby Alderweireld was often in the way of the hosts' forward endeavours.

Sissoko went close in the 10th minute, arriving late onto Lucas' pass across the 18-yard line and letting fly, only to see his strike loop behind for a corner. Our two full-backs were getting into good areas down the sides of the box as the half went on while Harry Winks was a willing explorer through the middle, but clear chances just wouldn't open up for us. Harry Kane crept in behind down the left side but Issa Diop did just enough to prevent him from getting a shot away from inside the box before our persistence told on 44 minutes when Sissoko found a pocket of space on the right and sent in a dangerous delivery which Lamela turned in at the near post.

There was an extended period of stoppage time due to an injury to West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko, who was taken off on a stretcher shortly before the opener, and we nearly took full advantage to double our lead, only for Lukasz Fabianski to produce a low double save from Lamela and Sanchez, who had stayed up following a free-kick.

Two brilliant saves from skipper Lloris in the first 15 minutes of the second period prevented Arnautovic from drawing his side level, the keeper hurling himself to his left to claw the Austrian international's header over the top three minutes after the restart and then diving low in the same direction as the in-form front man drilled through a crowded area on the hour mark.

Sanchez and Diop sent free headers wide at either end but West Ham had the door shut on Kane up top and it was the hosts who wrestled the momentum away as the game went on. The off-side flag went up well before substitute Chicharito fired into the top corner but when the same player slid through for Arnautovic eight yards out amid a period of intense pressure from the hosts in added time, some last-ditch defending saw us survive as Sanchez tackled him from behind and the ball ricocheted away off Lloris right in the danger zone. The hosts never gave up, but neither did we as we defended so resolutely to see out the win.

Key moment

Lamela's goal settled the game, but Lloris was superb in the second half to protect our lead. There were a couple of key moments as he saved brilliantly to his left to deny Arnautovic twice after half-time, but it was his 91st-minute block when the forward snuck in behind that arguably mattered most.

That's because it came amid a real push from the home side and, in truth, it took the wind out of their sails just a bit as we defended resolutely at the end.

Sanchez played a key role as well, sliding in from behind and doing just enough to see the ball squirm away off Lloris.

"In the second half they were pushing us," said Mauricio Pochettino. "It was a difficult game, we suffered a little but it’s always so important to keep fighting, maybe not playing at our best, but fighting to try to win."

Mauricio's view

Mauricio was pleased with our approach at both ends of the field as Lamela's goal at the end of the first period was protected with a resolute rearguard display in the second period.

Asked what pleased him most, he told Spurs TV: "Everything. The approach to the game... we were so competitive.

"I thought we deserved more than 1-0 at half-time.

"Always the derbies are emotional and I’m very happy for our fans. I’m so pleased for our players, it was a fantastic performance, a competitive game and important to start a busy period with a victory away from home in another London derby."

Reaction on Spurs TV

Match data

Goal: Spurs - Lamela 44.

Yellow cards: West Ham - Noble 59, Arnautovic 73, Snodgrass 81.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.

Venue: London Stadium.

Weather: Sunny intervals, 17 degrees.

Attendance: 56,921.