Simply as they took a grip of this recreation, although, it slipped away from them within the London rain. West Ham fought again from a set piece, scoring by Kurt Zouma, and had most of the higher alternatives over the course of the evening.
Ultimately, each side had purpose to really feel that two factors had been misplaced. For Spurs, as a result of this draw left them two factors behind fourth-placed Villa, and since that they had a lot of the possession. For David Moyes and West Ham, now three factors behind sixth-placed Manchester United, as a result of they didn’t capitalise on the vulnerability within the visiting defence.
This was an evening that ticked all of the bins for a traditional London derby: two groups with ambitions of qualifying for Europe, a midweek recreation below the lights and a relentless, driving rain that slashed into the turf like falling arrows. The group might really feel it and so might the gamers, who snapped into challenges from the off.
For West Ham’s gamers, roared on by a London Stadium crowd that’s studying to like this area, there was a transparent sense of attacking journey. Moyes will not be identified for creating probably the most flowing groups however his present facet are sometimes glorious to look at. Partly due to their thrilling forwards, and partly as a result of they typically lack primary defensive safety.
Johnson’s early aim for Spurs right here, transformed after Timo Werner had discovered house on the left, was the fifty fifth that West Ham have conceded within the Premier League this season. To offer that quantity some which means, take into account this: they conceded 55 in the entire of final season, after they completed 14th.
In different phrases, West Ham are a significantly better facet than they have been a 12 months in the past, regardless of being significantly worse defensively. Certainly, not since 2010/11 has a West Ham defence shipped targets as commonly as this 12 months’s group.
A part of the problem for the house facet was the continued suspension of defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez. When Alvarez doesn’t play, West Ham are wanting structural stability. With out him this season they’ve conceded three at Brentford, 5 at Fulham, 4 at Newcastle and two at Sheffield United.
In his absence, Spurs have been in a position to impose their passing recreation within the early exchanges. Pedro Porro virtually scored a second from vary, earlier than Son Heung-min’s curling effort was saved by Lukasz Fabianski.
However with gamers of the standard of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen of their assault, West Ham at all times carry a risk. Earlier than lengthy, Paqueta started to scheme, Kudus began to run and Bowen was quickly darting in behind the Spurs defence. The equaliser, flicked house off Zouma’s again from Bowen’s nook, was totally deserved.
