18.00 GMT
69 minutes: Tottenham finished with the goal. Their passing gazes are a little calmer and more confident since taking the lead.
Updated at 18:00 GMT
17:59 GMT
68 minutes: Sky Sports’ Bill Leslie on the mic reckons Ings and Benrahma will soon join for West Ham.
Updated at 17:59 GMT
17:57 GMT
66 minutes: Stellini and Mason stir things up as Son Heung-min comes off the bench for Tottenham. Richarlison comes off.
Surely Moyes needs to get some fresh legs off the bench and give them at least 15 minutes to do some damage?
Updated at 17:58 GMT
17:54 GMT
63 minutes: Antonio was booked for a foul on (I think) Kane a few minutes ago.
Updated at 17:54 GMT
17:51 GMT
60 minutes: So Moyesy’s zero-zero plan is out the window. Will we see some Ings, Lanzini, Scamacca and/or Benrahma off the bench? One would like to think so.
Updated at 17:51 GMT
17:50 GMT
57 minutes: In all the excitement, West Ham roar to the other end and Bowen forces a good save from Forster with a powerful shot at the half-volley.
Updated at 17:50 GMT
17:48 GMT
Nicely crafted gate, too. Everything was created by a perfectly weighted pass from Højbjerg straight ahead from the middle of midfield, which split the West Ham defence. Davies, coming in from Spurs’ left, rushes into the space behind the struggling defenders. He takes a touch to control, then a second to pass the ball to Royal, who lurks in a central position on the edge of the box… West Ham’s defense is all over the place after Højbjerg’s magnificent pass. Royal has time, calmly plays the ball past Fabianski into the far corner. Very nice gate! Well done. The crowd goes wild.
Updated at 17:55 GMT
17:46 GMT
Goal! 55 mins: Tottenham 1-0 West Ham (Royal)
That’s it! It’s a goal for Tottenham!
Updated at 17:46 GMT
17:43 GMT
52 minutes: Do we think Stellini put Conte on speakerphone in Spurs dressing room at half-time? You looked more purposeful. Now Kulusevski is stretching the ball again at West Ham. The Sweden international looks for Kane at the far post, but the cross is too high. Again, it’s almost there from Spurs, but just half a second off the timing.
Updated at 17:45 GMT
17:42 GMT
50 minutes: It’s a brilliant start from Spurs but West Ham are now winning two corners in quick succession. Spurs grapples with both…then there’s a quick counterattack from Spurs but Kulusevski flips a pass and Fabianski charges off his line to clear.
Updated at 17:42 GMT
17:40 GMT
49 minutes: Spurs have a clear chance again! A good chance! Kulusevski slices a ball inside for Kane after the Hammers gain possession. Kane is through, a good view of goal, angled in from the right side of Tottenham. He tries to pin a shot at the far post but he pushes his boot off and to safety.
Updated at 17:41 GMT
17:39 GMT
48 minutes: Spurs immediately launch a bright attack. Kulusevski finds space on Tottenham’s right to break, then cuts back and passes the ball back to Richarlison, who saves his first shot while charging into the box. It’s all a bit tedious, all a little mistimed.
Updated at 17:39 GMT
17:37 GMT
“I think we [Spurs] looked pretty good so far,” writes Alexandra via email. “West Ham defended steadfastly but Richarlison and Kane had a couple of good chances. The former looks a little rusty after a long-term injury, but it was bright.
“Nevertheless, my prediction is: Spurs 0-1 West Ham, 90+3′ Antonio.”
Updated at 17:37 GMT
17:20 GMT
45 minutes: Lenglet is fine to get back in. There is silence in the crowd. There wasn’t much to get excited about…
Kane provides a moment of class with a fine, sweeping, grinding pass about halfway, looking for the run from Richarlison. The Brazilian striker runs past Fabianski and tries a shot from a tight angle, which is easily blocked, but it goes for a corner.
Kulusevski drills the corner inn, Romero heads just over it from a central position. Something to get excited about, at least a little.
Updated at 17:20 GMT
17:15 GMT
44 minutes: Now it’s Lenglet who has landed on deck and needs a breather. He looks dazed and confused after falling badly in a fight a few moments ago.
Updated at 17:15 GMT
17:13 GMT
41 minutes: Cristian Romero falls down injured and needs treatment. David Moyes and Kevin Nolan chat on the touchline. Nil-nil suits these guys well. They would bite your hand off for a point.
As it stands, West Ham sit 16th in the table, the point ahead of Everton and Bournemouth on goal difference.
Updated at 17:14 GMT
17:10 GMT
37 minutes: Literally nothing happens on the pitch. So the TV director focuses on West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca, warming up on the touchline. Alan Smith, the co-commentator, fantasizes about seeing a classic Italian attacking game. “He’s making good runs,” says the former Arsenal striker dreamily.
Updated at 17:11 GMT
17.07 GMT
34 minutes: Emerson grinds into a tackle in midfield. It’s all disruption and destruction. There is precious little quality to be seen. Højbjerg shoots from about 25 yards, allowing Fabianski to get away with a regular save.
Updated at 17:07 GMT
17.05 GMT
31 minutes: Now this is actually pretty bad stuff. The pace of the game has slowed. But wait! Skipp suddenly sprints down the left Spurs and lands on the end of an angled ball from Højbjerg that I think was meant for Kane. Skipp crosses deep into a forest of West Ham defenders and the ball is duly cleared. Is this all turning into a deeply Moyesian smash-and-grab?
Updated at 17:05 GMT
17.02 GMT
“Leggy lenglet is a burden,‘ writes Niall via email. “Everything about his performance so far is wrong (tonight and in his Spurs career so far). pick him up Switch to 4-4-2 and get Lucas to lead the wing.
Updated at 17:02 GMT
17.00 GMT
25 minutes: That’s all well and good, but will anyone score? It doesn’t look very likely at the moment. The atmosphere sounds great, that’s at least something. Ogbonna climbs over Kane as a ball hovers forward towards Spurs. As a result, the hosts win a free-kick about halfway through the West Ham half.
Tottenham neglect to pump it into the mixer. Kane tries to play for the overlap in Davies but West Ham intercepts. Royal then takes a shot from the edge of the box, which is blocked. Next, Kane floats to the far post with a cross. Clearly West Ham again. Kulusevski then lobs a terrible cross off Spurs’ right side, which sails for the goal kick. defense at the top. West Ham’s defense at the top in particular.
Updated at 17:09 GMT
16:54 GMT
21 minutes: I guess it could be said that West Ham’s “low block” has proved quite resilient so far. Kane and Kulusevski make some nice gestures and find a few feet of space, but they don’t really have a clear chance. The TV director opts for a lingering shot of Son on the Spurs bench.
West Ham’s midfielder Flynn Downes (R) tackles Tottenham’s striker Harry Kane. Photo: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 17:26 GMT
16:53 GMT
“Greetings from a home in West Ham Luke,” Ian writes in an email. “I have to say that was the clearest handball [by Kehrer] since Terry McDermott in the 1981 League Cup final. Still – the look on Harry Kane’s face was funny.”
Updated at 16:53 GMT
16:51 GMT
18 minutes: West Ham attack up the right wing. Emerson Royal does well to intercept a cross and immediately tries to get Tottenham to attack on the right. It’s breathless stuff, high speed, in the spirit of a derby.
Updated at 16:51 GMT
16:48 GMT
“Greetings from the Atacama Desert!‘ writes Alun Pugh via email.
“It’s sweltering hot here and at 2,200 meters you can feel the lack of oxygen.
“I’m sure Fifa would see it as a great place to host the World Cup.”
A bit of politics, as Ben Elton used to say. Thanks for the photo Alun.
In the desert. Photo: Alun Pugh
Updated at 16:55 GMT
16:45 GMT
12 minutes: There’s a VAR check for handball from West Ham’s Thilo Kehrer, who bends down and blocks a pass attempt from Richarlison in the box. That was very much a penalty last season, as you can imagine. Or the season before that. But West Ham are getting away with it.
Updated at 16:45 GMT
16:43 GMT
11 minutes: Tottenham are now under pressure. They managed to take control of the game after a quick start from West Ham. It’s all a bit hectic and unstructured.
Updated at 16:43 GMT
16:42 GMT
9 minutes: Booked for a tasty challenge against Antonio, Skipp slips into a 50-50. That bordered on recklessness.
Referee Michael Oliver shows Oliver Skipp a yellow card. Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Updated at 17:09 GMT
16:41 GMT
8 minutes: Now, with Tottenham on the front foot, Kane falls into a gap just outside the area. The ball is worked to Richarlison in the area, who tries to turn and make room for a shot, but he’s swarmed and edged out by Hammers defenders. That’s the Premier League, mate, not Switzerland at the World Cup!
Updated at 16:41 GMT
16:39 GMT
6 minutes: Tottenham get their foot on the ball for the first time and move into the West Ham half with some passing. Davies does well to shoot his marker on the left side of Spurs. A ball is floated to the far post where Kane went offside, so he just bounces the ball harmlessly wide.
Updated at 16:39 GMT
16:36 GMT
4 minutes: It was a lively start from West Ham. Antonio, leading the line, holds the ball up on the edge of the box with his back to goal. A corner is the result, West Ham’s second of the game after Soucek nailed another dart down the right.
Updated at 16:36 GMT
16:33 GMT
1 minute: West Ham almost scores! Soucek runs to a throw-in on the right and hooks a really clever over-the-shoulder volley back to the edge of the box. It’s a nol-look pass and more “into an area” than picking someone out on purpose, but Bowen is there and hits a low shot the first time, flying just wide of the target. That was soft from Spurs, and Antonio Conte has probably already thrown his espresso cup at the TV.
Updated at 16:35 GMT
16:29 GMT
David Jones on Sky said yesterday was the first time since 2015 that the bottom three in the Premier League have all won.
Updated at 16:29 GMT
16:28 GMT
Spurs can get a seat today, of course, among the top four. They beat Manchester City a few weeks ago then left and lost to Leicester, the fools.
Updated at 16:28 GMT
16:21 GMT
Oliver Skip also had a chat with Sky Sports and said they have been in touch with Conte all week and that the players also have great faith in the coaching staff who are in charge in Conte’s absence.
Updated at 16:27 GMT
16:20 GMT
“I would like to know Thinking behind right-back’s situation,” writes Yash Gupta via email. “Porro was selected for an away game when Romero was suspended, leading to the collapse of that wing. Now… he sits on the bench when Romero comes back. Emerson Royal is wonderful, but which player in this West Ham team are Tottenham worried about that Royal – a defensive full-back – is playing against?
I didn’t see the Milan game so can’t comment on that. However, I saw a joke clip on social media of Tim Sherwood criticizing Porro.
Updated at 16:20 GMT
16:18 GMT
Stellini speaks: “We’ll have some [tactical] Messages from Antonio, he’s home ready to watch the game.”
Who decided to omit Son? “Me, Antonio and Ryan Mason, we made that decision because we have a big squad – we want to put in energy and we’ve played a lot of games [recently] with Sonny… the reason we have a big roster is this.
“We need a reaction [after losing to Leicester]. We play at home. We have to play well from the start.”
Updated at 16:18 GMT
16:10 GMT
West Ham manager David Moyes speaks to Sky Sports: “To have Nayef [Aguerd] back is positive… Gianluca [Scamacca, on the bench] is back in training right now… he won’t be playing too long I don’t think. Flynn Downes played very well at Man United, we just felt like we need something different today…we have to go today and do our job. We had a little bit better run… today is a test for us but hopefully we can add something.
Updated at 16:10 GMT
15:50 GMT
teams
Team headlines for the hosts are Heung-min Son dropped to the bench with Richarlison starting alongside Harry Kane in attack. After the Champions League defeat on Valentine’s Day in Milan, Ivan Perisic and Pape Matar Sarr are also on the bench, along with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Emerson Royal.
At West Ham, Flynn Downes and Tomas Soucek both start, Saïd Benrahma is on the bench and Lucas Paquetá is out with a shoulder injury. Nayef Aguerd starts having doubts about fitness with a groin injury. Cornet (calf) and Zouma (thigh) are out.
Tottenham: Forster, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Davies, Kulusevski, Richarlison, Kane. Substitute: Austin, Tanganga, Sanchez, Pedro Porro, Sarr, Perisic, Danjuma, Lucas, Son.
West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Emerson, Rice, Soucek, Downes, Bowen, Antonio. Substitute: Areola, Johnson, Cresswell, Scamacca, Fornals, Lanzini, Ings, Benrahma, Casey.
Updated at 16:11 GMT
15:30 GMT
preamble
The fight to stay up becomes ridiculous, devilish and incredibly close. Just eight points separate 20th-place Southampton and 12th-place Crystal Palace. Saints, Bournemouth and Everton all won yesterday while Leicester, Wolves and Nottingham Forest – in general – were all on an upward curve. West Ham are 18th with five wins and five draws from 22 games, a point ahead of Leeds and two ahead of Saints. The Hammers can’t count on three other teams being worse: They need to keep themselves busy.
On the bright side, however, David Moyes is one of several bottom half managers who sound genuinely optimistic about his team’s prospects. “A lot of good things are coming through,” he said on Friday. Certainly it’s his job to sound optimistic, but the injury list is getting shorter and there are players starting to take a look at the form that helped them to a comfortable first-half finish last season.
Tottenham supporters, on the other hand, have in recent days been wondering if a takeover of their club is imminent, what that could mean for the future and how they might feel about Qatar’s control. Antonio Conte remains absent, recovering after gallbladder surgery in Italy, with Cristian Stellini proving to be an able stand-in. Newcastle’s defeat by Liverpool offers a chance to finish fourth and you know what. Good things come through? Let’s see what comes out.
Kick-off: 4.30 p.m
Updated at 15:31 GMT