Premier League GW15 - Tottenham vs West Ham

Tottenham vs West Ham | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Fifth-place Tottenham and ninth-place West Ham engaged in a thrilling London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they battled for supremacy. Tottenham took on a strong West Ham team that had not lost in five games in all competitions in an attempt to snap a four-game losing record. The teams delivered an exciting match that lived up to the expectations.

Starting XI:

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1):

Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie; Yves Bissouma, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg; Brennan Johnson, Giovani Lo Celso, Dejan Kulusevski; Son Heung-Min.

SUBS: Fraser Forster, Alfie Dorrington, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Pape Sarr, Jamie Donley, Richarlison, Bryan Gil, Alejo Veliz.

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1):

Lukasz Fabianski; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson; Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse; Mohammed Kudus, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen.

SUBS: Joseph Anang, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Thilo Kehrer, Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Pablo Fornals, Divin Mubama, Danny Ings, Said Benrahma.

London Derby Stadium | Picture Credits: Rex

First Half: Romero's Resurgence and Zouma's Close Call

Both sides came into the game determined to win. Tottenham, who had won three of their previous four games against West Ham at home, wanted to maintain their superiority. Cristian Romero made a commanding entrance in the eleventh minute, soaring over the West Ham defenders to meet Pedro Porro's corner. Tottenham took a critical 1-0 lead thanks to a strong header that firmly placed the ball beyond Lukasz Fabianski.

Tottenham put in more effort to score a second goal as halftime drew near. Giovani Lo Celso's dangerous cross in stoppage time caused Kurt Zouma to unintentionally strike the ball against his own post while under pressure, just missing an own goal.

Even though they were ahead 1-0 at the interval, Tottenham would have been little let down. Spurs dominated possession and had 13 shots compared to West Ham's four, but they were unable to take advantage of their opportunities. The narrow advantage left the door open for a comeback by West Ham.

Second Half: West Ham's Smash-and-Grab

West Ham produced a stunning comeback throughout the second half. Jarrod Bowen took advantage of a counterattack opportunity in the 52nd minute. Mohammed Kudus's attempt swerved off Tottenham's line, dropping to Bowen, who composedly placed the ball into the net to tie the score at one.

Tottenham tried to respond, but in the 74th minute, a defensive blunder allowed West Ham to score. Due to Guglielmo Vicario's unintentional break in line to stop Bowen from advancing, James Ward-Prowse was awarded a rebound. Ward-Prowse completed the incredible comeback and gave West Ham a 2-1 lead with a calm shot into an empty net.

West Ham's Unbeaten Streak Continues

The thrilling 2-1 comeback triumph of West Ham over Tottenham was announced by the final whistle. Romero's early heroics did not save Spurs from West Ham's tenacity. West Ham's winning run now stands at six games thanks to a smash-and-grab operation led by Bowen and Ward-Prowse.

Tottenham has to defeat Newcastle United to snap a five-game losing streak while West Ham aims to continue their strong play against Fulham. Fans were gripping their seats throughout the thrilling display of twists and turns that was the London derby. Goodbye from this exciting Premier League match until the next exciting chapter begins.

Romero scored a goal and gave Tottenham a 1-0 lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Bowen's goal equalled the score | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Ward-Prowse scored and gave West Ham a 2-1 lead | Picture Credits: Getty Images