Heung-Min Son has claimed that Tottenham knew West Ham were going to be ‘tired’, especially in the second half of their Premier League showdown on Sunday, as he told Sky Sports.
The Spurs forward netted a brace against the Hammers during his side’s 3-1 win and he shared that they ‘spoke about’ their rivals playing on Thursday evening.
West Ham went to extra-time during their 2-0 win over Sevilla in the Europa League, with David Moyes only making one change from that match.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte and his players recorded a 2-0 win at Brighton 24 hours before, so not only did they have that extra rest, but the Hammers also added on extra minutes to their legs.
Either way, it seemed to have played a part, as Son spoke about the fatigue that was in West Ham’s squad.
“It’s obviously always tough when you have a Thursday game and 120 minutes is not easy,” said Son. “They played a very, very intense game.
“We knew that when they had the ball. When we moved the ball they are going to be tired, especially in the second half. We could see.
“We spoke about it. But we didn’t focus too much on them because we wanted to play our game, which we did and I think it was a fantastic performance.”
That defeat could be the hammer blow for West Ham’s chances of securing Champions League football.
It puts them six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand, with only eight matches of the season left on the calendar for the east London club.
That January transfer window that resulted in zero fresh faces walking through the club’s doors has cost them.
This isn’t a case of West Ham lacking quality, tactical awareness or drive, but the regular XI just needing help and rest, which they haven’t got.
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