West Ham 1-1 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened

Jacob Steinberg was at the London Stadium tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.

Ange Postecoglou speaks to TNT. “It was tough … they sat deep and compact … for the most part we controlled the game pretty well … we got a great start … they’re always going to be a threat from set pieces … our decision-making in the final third didn’t help us … both teams left it all out there … we’re obviously disappointed not to win but it’s a tough place to come … we just needed to be a little bit more clinical.”

David Moyes talks to TNT. “I would have taken [a point] before the game … Tottenham are a really good team … so for us to be winning and drawing against Tottenham this season is good for us … fair credit to the lads, they kept at it … we were a threat in a lot of the things we’ve done … I genuinely thought we didn’t deserve to go behind tonight … they had moments at the end … in the second half we had a few moments … maybe the draw was the right result in the end … after the way we played at the weekend, we looked more committed to make sure people didn’t score … overall it’ll hopefully give us big confidence … we’ve been doing OK, just set back a little at the weekend.”

The game’s other goalscorer, Brennan Johnson, talks to TNT. “We’re disappointed … for large parts of the game we dominated … we lacked that little bit of cutting edge … we’re reasonably happy with the performance, it’s just that last bit we have to keep working on … every week I feel more confident, getting into better areas … the style of play is unbelievable … it’s a very exciting team … we just need more time to gel … we want to finish as strong as we can … we’ve got a lot of tough games coming up which we’re really excited about.”

Kurt Zouma, named player of the match by Robbie Savage, speaks to TNT. “It was a very tense game … both teams wanted to win … we gave so much … after the game on Saturday we had to react and I think we did … the reaction was the thing we have to take from the game … we are family and through ups and downs we stick together … it was a good game to watch, I would say … we need to play like this in all the games we have left … we need to build up our confidence and have a good result at the weekend … the run-in is always exciting … we still have a lot to play for … hopefully we finish in a good position.”

That was a great game. For an hour. Then it completely fizzled out … before going absolutely wild deep into stoppage time, when both teams could (and will feel they probably should) have scored on the counter. A draw’s probably fair, though. Neither team will be particularly happy with the point, nor particularly gutted. Spurs remain in fifth, West Ham seventh.

There’s still enough time for Son and Kulusevski to mess up a counter, and Paqueta and Antonio to over-elaborate on the counter-counter, and the whistle goes. What a breathless finish!

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90 min +5: What a chance to win the game at the death pt. II! Bowen chases after a ball bouncing down the inside-left channel. He wedges across the face of goal, past the out-of-position Vicario, but the cross is too high for Antonio to barge into an empty net. Wow!

90 min +4: Kulusevski’s right wing cross is deflected by Lo Celso into the path of Udogie, who has space to shoot from the edge of the box. Blocked! What a chance to win the game at the death!

90 min +3: Lo Celso has come on for Johnson, incidentally.

90 min +2: Ward-Prowse takes, but not in a particularly convincing style. Spurs clear.

90 min +1: Emerson wins a corner down the left off Romero, who is livid at his team-mates for falling asleep and letting the West Ham man make his run.

90 min: There will be four additional minutes.

89 min: The referee is busy booking Romero for a late clip on Ward-Prowse when Bowen takes a quick free kick and romps forward. He shoots. Vicario saves. The whistle repeatedly blasts. Kudus eventually slots, but the play’s pulled back. Everybody knew it. No controversy here.

88 min: The corner’s half cleared. Sarr drags a speculative shot wide left. This match was great entertainment for the first hour, but it’s fizzled out dramatically since.

87 min: Son romps down the left and feeds Hojbjerg on the overlap. Hojbjerg crosses. Coufal chests out for a corner. Hojbjerg claims a penalty, cheekily. The referee tells him to pipe down. Just a corner, Porro to take.

86 min: Bowen has been quiet in this second half, certainly in comparison with the havoc he wreaked down the right in the first. But now he wins another corner and takes it himself. He delivers well, but Soucek can’t connect properly with a header at the far stick, and it’s a goal kick to Spurs.

84 min: Antonio makes his way down the left but, upon reaching the byline, is only able to cushion a cross into Vicario’s arms.

82 min: Another double Spurs swap. Bissouma makes way for Hojbjerg, while Werner gets out of the way 60 seconds too late, as he’s replaced by Richarlison.

81 min: Porro crosses deep from the right. Sarr storms in from the left, hoping to head home. Werner, of all people, heads the ball away from his orbit. Oh dear. Then the flag goes up for offside anyway, Werner at fault for that too. Had the striker not been there at all, Sarr would most likely have put Spurs in front.

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79 min: The London Stadium is super-subdued now. The goalfest that looked certain to materialise after 20 minutes hasn’t happened.

77 min: Johnson jinks his way down the right but only succeeds in floating a harmless cross into the hands of Fabianski.

76 min: Bowen has an opportunity to dribble into the Spurs box from the right, but hesitates, allowing Bissouma to come over, take charge, and usher him out for a goal kick. The air’s gone out of this game a little bit.

74 min: Kudus has the chance to send Antonio clear down the left, but instead steps infield and draws a foul from Johnson, who goes into the book.

73 min: Sarr crosses low from the right. The ball whistles down the corridor of uncertainty. Coufal clears with Werner lurking. Spurs look much the more likely side to find a winner.

72 min: … and Zouma eyebrows it clear.

72 min: Johnson rolls another cross in from the right. Porro takes a fresh-air swipe, six yards out. Spurs come again, and Werner’s effort is deflected out for a corner on the right. Porro to take.

70 min: Spurs make the first changes of the evening. Maddison and Bentancur make way for Kulusevski and Sarr.

69 min: Porro cuts in from the right and scuffs a shot goalwards. Gathered easily by Fabianski.

68 min: Porro’s right-wing cross deflects into the path of Johnson, who controls and sends a fierce shot goalwards. Blocked. Spurs continue to look the more likely in this second half … though it’s Antonio who had the best opportunity to score. Football, eh.

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66 min: Kudus does exceptionally well to keep a speculative long punt in play, zipping down the left flank at warp speed … then the flag goes up for offside. All that effort for the square root of eff all, and needlessly expended to boot. The law is an ass.

64 min: Johnson goes haring up the middle of the park. He goes over in the box, but only as the result of a perfectly timed challenge by Emerson. The ball picked off his toe. Anything else and that was a penalty. Spurs come again but Son slices high and wide right.

63 min: Spurs have enjoyed 68 percent of possession to date.

61 min: Bentancur is booked for a challenge on Emerson. This is bubbling away nicely.

60 min: An absurd passage of play! Maddison prepares to shoot from the edge of the D. He’s toppled from behind by Paqueta. Maddison wants a free kick, and probably should get one … but doesn’t. Play goes on. One big hoof upfield, and Antonio is clear! But Van de Ven is fast, and gets ahead of the striker … only to stumble and allow Antonio a free shot on goal. Antonio slaps the ball straight at Vicario, and somehow after all that, it’s still 1-1.

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59 min: Spurs are pushing West Ham back. The hosts can’t get out of their final third. At least they’re holding their shape in the middle for now, the visitors unable to fashion a shooting chance from all their current territorial dominance.

57 min: Bowen and Udogie go into high-speed battle down the right touchline. It’s a great match-up, Bowen dribbling hard, Udogie sticking to his side. Eventually Bowen lays off to Paqueta, who sends an effort off target. This is great fun.

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55 min: Bissouma lashes a shot wide right from distance. That effort followed some pretty triangles drawn by Johnson, Son and Maddison. Both teams continue to push and pile forward, just has they have done from the get-go.