Hammers KO Spurs in Carabao Cup
Written By: Robert Halter
West Ham United looked to repeat their League Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur back in December 2013, as the Hammers faced the Lilywhites in their first ever meeting at Wembley stadium under the newly sponsored Carabao Cup. Spurs struck first on six minutes, when Danny Rose combined with Ben Davies, whose ball forward was flicked on from Fernando Llorente, and from Heung-Min Son’s incisive pass, Moussa Sissoko slid the ball into the bottom left corner past a helpless Adrian in the Hammers goal. In the eighteenth minute, after Kieran Trippier played a short corner with Rose, he then crossed the ball over to Dele Alli, whose strong header produced a reflex save from Adrian. After the West Ham captain, Mark Noble was fouled by Eric Dier, a free kick by Manuel Lanzini, was gingerly defended by Davies and Toby Alderweireld, but Cheikhou Kouyate was unable to take advantage with a tame headed effort to the Spurs keeper, Michel Vorm, in the twenty fourth minute. The Irons next response was from a knock on by Andre Ayew, but a miss firing Edimilson Fernandes, pulled his shot out wide to the left. But on thirty seven minutes, the Lilywhites doubled their lead as Alli combined with Son, before sending a curling strike that deflected off the back of Declan Rice, into the far right side of the goal, past Adrian’s despairing dive. In the forty second minute, Aaron Cresswell linked up play with Lanzini, and Noble then struck a low drive straight into Vorm. Before the half time break, Sissoko cut inside from the left, before clipping the ball past the far right post. There was a face off at the start of the second half, as Noble and Rose sparked the situation, before Alli acted as peacemaker, as when Son pulled up injured, Spurs tried to seize the advantage, after the ball was put out of play. Following a right footed strike by Fernandes which was saved by Vorm, the Hammers got a lifeline when from Lanzini’s corner, a poor header out by Davies, fell to Fernandes, whose low drive was parried by Vorm, and from close range, Ayew tucked the ball into the right hand corner. Then from a cross by Cresswell, it took a push over by Vorm, to fend away a header from close range by Ayew. But on the hour mark, the Irons were back in the game, as from Andy Carroll’s decisive header, a low cross by Lanzini, was hooked over into the right roof of the net by Ayew, to level the game. It put the Lilywhites on red alert, as Sissoko’s cross on the right was met full on by Alli, but Adrian sprung to make the save, four minutes later. Incredibly, the Hammers took the lead in the seventieth minute, as from Lanzini’s corner, a fantastic leap and glancing header in the six yard box by Angelo Ogbonna, went into the far right corner of the net. Under pressure Spurs, were left to chase the game as Son linked up play with Sissoko, whose right footed strike from outside the box, was acrobatically turned over from Adrian. After Eric Dier miss guided a header from a Trippier cross, it was time for a change by Spurs, as Llorente made way for Mousa Dembele. On seventy four minutes from Rose’s cross, the ball was headed out by Ogbonna, before a shot from Sissoko was ballooned over. Another chance went a rye for Spurs as from Dembele’s assist, a strike from Alli was curled high and wide. The Hammers then brought on Pedro Obiang for Fernandes. After Davies was tugged by Kouyate, a free kick by Trippier was curled wide of the target, before Tottenham took off Rose for Christian Eriksen and they then brought on Georges-Kevin Nkoudou for Son, before the Irons changed Lanzini with Marko Arnautovic. Spurs were running out of gas, when Alderweireld’s header went out wide to the right from Trippier’s cross. Then on the stroke of full time, from a Dembele assist, a low drive by Eriksen was kept out at full stretch by Adrian and from Alderweireld’s cross, Davies could not find the vital touch, to leave Tottenham Hotspur crashing out of the Carabao Cup, after a dramatic turnaround of West Ham United’s fortunes to win 3-2.