Three quick goals make it a four-midable show against the Hammers

Three goals in eight second-half minutes ensured the London derby spoils belonged to us thanks to a convincing 4-1 win over West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors had taken an early lead through Mohammed Kudus but our dominance was rewarded with a deserved Dejan Kulusevski equaliser before the break. Although we were the better team at that stage, the game was very much in the balance but we made sure there was no slip up this time with a swift three-goal blast to swing it our way – Yves Bissouma, an own goal from Alphonse Areola and Heung-Min Son all on target.

The Hammers ended the game with 10 men following a straight red card to goalscorer Kudus as we inflicted our 27th Premier League victory over our London rivals, only having beaten Everton and Manchester City more times.

Ange Postecoglou made two changes to the team that started against Brighton last time out. Fit again Son returned for Timo Werner, while Bissouma came in for Rodrigo Bentancur. Richarlison also returned from injury and was back in the squad for the first time since August, featuring as a late substitute.

We were pinning the Hammers back in the early minutes and went close when Brennan Johnson showed all the confidence of a player who’d scored in his last six Spurs games by fizzing a half-volley just wide of Areola’s far post. The visitors then had a glorious chance themselves on 11 minutes, Jarrod Bowen’s cut-back finding Kudus 10 yards out at the back post but his effort was pushed over by Guglielmo Vicario.

The returning Son curled inches wide with a right-footed effort but on 18 minutes, we failed to heed the warning from earlier as Bowen again got to the byline and pulled the ball back once more to Kudus and this time he made no mistake to give the Hammers the lead.

We really should have levelled in the 27th minute when Destiny Udogie’s clip from the byline was met by Johnson only for the ball to come off his shoulder and deflect just wide before Pedro Porro lined up one of his trademark rockets which Areola got down well to save. But the deserved equaliser did come soon after, James Maddison leading the breakaway and finding Kulusevski down the right, he cut back onto his left and hit a shot which Areola got a hand to, diverting the ball against the post, along the goal-line, against the other post and then in!

While we continued to be the dominant team, West Ham always carried a threat in attack even if Vicario wasn’t being tested too much, while the half drew to a close with Porro’s half-volley flying over the bar. We made a switch at the interval with Maddison replaced by Pape Matar Sarr and within 15 minutes of the restart, we’d scored three times. First, a well-worked move on 52 minutes saw Son slip a pass in for Udogie to the byline and his pull back was slotted home by Bissouma, before a shot from Son – certainly not his finest – bounced between defender Jean-Clair Todibo and Areola before crawling over the line.

And it was 4-1 on the hour mark, Sarr with a superb early ball out to Son down the left and he advanced into the box, shifted it onto his left and slammed it into the Hammers’ net. He so nearly added a fifth moments later, this time drilling a low shot which hit the post and bounced away to safety.

The visitors tried to respond quickly, a scramble in our box ending with Kudus looking certain to score at the back post only for his effort to hit Udogie on the line with the West Ham players appealing for a penalty but their claims were waved away. Kudus then lined up another effort in the 72nd minute which came through a crowd of players and Vicario saw late, but the Italian international did enough to parry it away.

With the points pretty much secure, an unnecessary late scuffle involving virtually every player on the pitch ended with a straight red card being shown to Kudus. Initially given a yellow by referee Andy Madley, VAR intervened after it was apparent that Kudus had put his hands in the faces of both Micky van de Ven and Sarr, and the decision was upgraded to a red. Perhaps the only disappointment on the day was Johnson failing to extend his six-game goalscoring run, one last chance falling his way deep into stoppage time but he headed Porro’s free-kick wide and we had to settle for just the four goals!

Match data

Goals: Spurs – Kulusevski 36, Bissouma 52, Areola (OG) 55, Son 60; West Ham – Kudus 18.

Yellow cards: Spurs – van de Ven; West Ham – Paqueta, Soucek, Soler.

Red card: West Ham – Kudus.

Referee: Andrew Madley.

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Weather: Sunny intervals, gentle breeze, 16 degrees.

Attendance: 61,381.