West Ham United turned in a dogged display to earn a draw at fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino (L) greets West Ham United’s Scottish manager David Moyes (R) ahead of the English Premier League football match between…
West Ham were big underdogs going into the game particularly given the fact they were without several key first teamers including Aaron Cresswell, Marko Arnautovic, Michail Antonio and with Andy Carroll only available from the bench.
Wonder strikes from Pedro Obiang and Son Heung-min saw the game end 1-1 with Tottenham in the ascendency throughout in terms of chances and possession.
But what did we learn about West Ham from the game? Here’s five things…
Owners David Sullivan and David Gold should hang their heads in shame
While there was so much to admire about West Ham’s performance against Spurs, particularly given the players they had missing, it should serve to highlight the terrible job that has been done by Sullivan and Gold in recent years.
For the owners to allow such a huge gulf in quality and squad depth to develop with one of their biggest rivals is unacceptable given what was promised when fans were being persuaded to leave Upton Park for the London Stadium.
Yes it was a good performance and point for the situation West Ham are in. But if defending with 10 men behind the ball on the edge of their own box is the height of the Hammers’ ambition against any team 7th or above in the Premier League then those fans will be asking ‘what was the point’.
To be relying on a 33-year-old right back to play twice in 48 hours and have such a lopsided squad lacking any real depth is inexcusable and the chasm that has formed between Tottenham and West Ham only underlines how the owners are failing the club and its supporters.
Declan Rice is a future West Ham captain and the new John Terry
One of the biggest plus points for West Ham was Declan Rice.
The young defender was flawless throughout against one of the best players in world football.
He really living up to his billing as the new John Terry and could easily go on to captain the Hammers and play senior international football for Ireland if he keeps progressing like this.
Angelo Ogbonna back to his brilliant best
Ogbonna was a beast for West Ham in his first season and helped the club to within four points of Champions League qualification. In his second season the Italian played on through a troublesome knee injury for five months until West Ham could sign a replacement which is a testament to his selflessness.
The former Juventus defender finally looks to be fully fit and has been immense for the Hammers of late and clearly relishes playing in David Moyes’ more organised setup. Barely gave Kane a sniff and put on a real man of the match performance. It is easy to see why the club rewarded him with a new long-term deal.
Javier Hernandez does not fit at West Ham
It is one of the conundrums of the season that a side struggling like the Hammers cannot find room for a striker with the scoring prowess of Javier Hernandez. But what has become abundantly clear is that Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer simply does not fit at West Ham.
He cannot play the lone striker role as the game at Spurs highlighted once again. And West Ham are not a strong enough side with enough quality all over the pitch to give him the kind of service he needs and thrives on in the box.
It was a sad sight watching him run out of steam after 10 yards when through on goal at Wembley but accusations he has lost his pace are wide of the mark as he has only ever been quick over five or 10 yards, by which point he is usually getting a shot off at previous clubs.
Playing for a Chelsea, Arsenal or even Spurs as a sub when games are tight and his side are dominating the play and trying to break teams down and Hernandez would come into his own. Perhaps the club need to admit defeat and see if they can move him on in January and recoup some of the £16 million outlay before his reputation is shot.
Green shoots of recovery for Cheikhou Kouyate?
Kouyate has gone from monster to mouse for West Ham in the last 18 months and his form – or lack of it – has left supporters exasperated.
The Senegalese midfielder was not great on the ball against Spurs but he looked like he was getting back to something like his best with a dogged, powerful and hardworking display.
He could have put the Hammers 2-0 up with a second half header but overall his performance is encouraging for Moyes who is keen to bolster his midfield options this month.
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