35 min: Son dribbles daintily down the centre, but just as it looks as though he’s opened West Ham up, a heavy touch puts a stop to his grand idea. Both teams are really going for this, it’s slightly odd that the keepers haven’t had more work to do.
34 min: Antonio sashays past a couple of half-arsed Spurs challenges, deep on the right, then knocks a diagonal pass towards Felipe Anderson, in acres on the left. He should be sending his team-mate clear, but there’s too much juice on the ball and it flies harmlessly through to Lloris.
32 min: A long ball down the middle nearly exposes the Spurs defence, but with Antonio and Arnautovic lurking on the edge of the box, Sanchez steps in to tidy up.
30 min: This match is being played at 100mph. It’s like watching USSR v Belgium at the 1986 World Cup.
28 min: Alli dinks a fine pass down the left to release Son into the box. For a split second, it looks as though Son might have space for a shot from a tight angle, but Diop is across quickly to stick on his man, and usher him away from danger. Fine defending.
26 min: The first booking of the game is earned by Snodgrass, who slides in on Lucas Moura. It wasn’t nasty, but it was mistimed and late, and a little from behind. He can’t complain.
Robert Snodgrass reacts after his late tackle leaves Moura on the floor. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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25 min: Son dribbles towards the West Ham box, from left to right, and drops a shoulder. His dig is deflected out for a corner on the right. Nothing much comes of it. But Spurs are soon coming back at the visitors, Lucas Moura opening up down the inside right and creaming a low diagonal drive inches wide of the left-hand post. That really was very close. Not sure Fabianski was getting any fingers to that had it been on target.
23 min: It’s developing into a fine end-to-end duel. Rose nearly breaks clear into the West Ham box down the left, but runs the ball out of play with a clumsy touch. Then Antonio lashes over from 25 yards. A goal’s coming soon, surely. But at what end?
21 min: Everything and everyone pinging around in the pinball style. Both teams are going for this. It’s making for a very lively spectacle.
19 min: West Ham spring back into action. Fredericks makes his way down the right and sends a low fizzer wide of goal. Lloris tips it round anyway to concede a needless corner. Snodgrass takes; Antonio slaps a header wide right from close range. Then seconds later, the Hammers are coming at Spurs again, Felipe Anderson skittering down the left at pace. Spurs are light at the back, so it’s something of a disappointment for West Ham when he hoicks a lame shot straight into Lloris’s arms. Arnautovic was free on the penalty spot, and reacts as you’d imagine he would.
17 min: Space for Rose down the left. He hoicks a cross into the West Ham box from deep. The wind converts it into a looping shot, and for a second it looks like beating Fabianski, retreating in panic, and dropping into the top right. But it sails wide right, the keeper escorting the ball out of play, having rediscovered his bearings in time.
15 min: Dier and Moura one-two their way down the middle. It’s looking promising until Diop steps up to intercept. This is a nice open, flowing game. Though most of the flowing is being done by Spurs. After that brief flurry at the start, West Ham are second best right now.
13 min: Eriksen juggles the ball down the left and lifts a pass forward for Alli. He’s away down the left too! He enters the box and looks to curl one into the top right, but doesn’t get enough elevation on the shot and it’s blocked by Fredericks. West Ham are looking vulnerable on this flank.
11 min: Spurs are beginning to assert themselves after a slow-ish start. Moura is at the heart of everything. He twists and turns in the centre circle and lays off to Alli, who slips a pass down the inside left for Son. The striker’s away! He romps into the box and looks for the bottom left, his options limited by Balbuena to his right. Fabianski gets down very well to smother. That’s his 137th save of the season, the best of the Premier League. (For the record, Cardiff’s Neil Etheridge, with 126, is next on the list.)
9 min: Lucas Moura glides in from the left then picks up speed, dribbling hard at Rice, who doesn’t move. Slam. That’s a blatant body check and a free kick 35 yards out. Eriksen floats the set piece into the box. It’s only half cleared, and Moura very nearly sends Son clear with a cute slide-rule pass down the inside-right channel. It’s intercepted by Diop.
7 min: Alderweireld quarterbacks from deep. He sprays a ball down the middle for Son, but the striker wanted it out on the right, and the pass flies harmlessly through to Fabianski.
5 min: Finally Spurs get going. Son looks for his 21st goal of the season, chasing a bouncing ball down the inside-right channel. The ball sits up invitingly, and Son gives it a rare old lash, but it’s wild and high. That’ll have got the juices flowing at least.
Son Heung-min shoots at goal. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters
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4 min: The noise in this stadium is magnificent. Both sets of fans giving it plenty in the early moments. West Ham appear to have come out with a view to throwing the kitchen sink at Spurs, they’re sharp in the tackle and committing plenty of men forward. It’s a high-octane start, and the hosts haven’t had much of a chance to get anything together so far.
2 min: Mind you, Declan Rice does his level best to give West Ham a flying start. Snodgrass made good down the left, causing Spurs a bit of bother. The ball breaks back to Rice, 25 yards out, and he sends a screamer inches over the bar. That one caused a collective sharp intake of breath. It was close!
And we’re off! The hosts get the party started. It’s been a week for quick goals: Southampton striker Shane Long’s seven-second wonder at Watford in midweek, Naby Keita’s comparatively slothful 15-second effort for Liverpool against Huddersfield Town last night. But the first 60 seconds have passed here, and neither net has billowed yet. Come on folks, people have paid good money for this.
The teams are out! Tottenham Hotspur wear their famous lilywhite, daring to do. West Ham meanwhile sport their storied claret and blue. It’s a purist’s dream. As is quickly becoming custom, there’s a belting atmosphere at the New White Hart Lane (they really should call it High Road) though to be fair there’s always a hubbub whenever these two meet. We’ll be off in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!
Mauricio Pochettino talks! “I am only thinking of today. This is the most important game, we do not think of the next one. I have picked the best players available to win. I have told the players the most important game is today, we have to be sure we are going to compete in our best way. Of course we cannot avoid risk, we are in the middle of the fight for the top four and the Champions League. But today Vertonghen is out of the squad, he has big fatigue and today would be a massive risk to play with him. But we rotate because I think the best starting XI is the one we have today. We know this is a derby, and means more than a game. They are a very good team and we must be focused. It is going to be tough.”
Manuel Pellegrini speaks! “We want and need to finish with a competitive team and more points. We must finish in the best way. We are conceding too many goals, but I am happy with the way we played the last two games and hopefully we can win this game. I am confident that if we repeat the game we played at Manchester United, we can win today. Spurs have a very strong squad, and must try to qualify for the Champions League, so I am sure their mind is just on this game.”
Spurs make four changes to the XI named for the 1-0 win over Brighton. Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Juan Foyth and Ben Davies replace Kieran Tripper, Victor Wanyama, Fernando Llorente and Jan Vertonghen, who has picked up an injury.
West Ham swap out two players from the XI selected for the 2-2 draw with Leicester City. Ryan Fredericks and Issa Diop replace Pablo Zabaleta and Angelo Ogbonna. Jack Wilshere’s comeback from injury continues with a place on the bench.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies, Foyth, Dier, Alli, Rose, Eriksen, Son, Lucas Moura.
Subs: Trippier, Janssen, Wanyama, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Gazzaniga, Skipp.
West Ham United: Fabianski, Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku, Rice, Antonio, Noble, Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Arnautovic.
Subs: Zabaleta, Adrian, Obiang, Hernandez, Wilshere, Ogbonna, Lucas Perez.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Preamble
West Ham United have lost three of their last four matches, haven’t won in five, and have already been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur twice this season, in the League (0-1) and League Cup (1-3). While the Hammers mooch around in mid-table, Spurs sit third, have a fair chance of winning the Champions League, and have a record in their fancy new stadium of P4 W4 F8 A0. If recent form is anything to go by, this should be a home banker.
Football’s never that cut and dried, though, is it? Spurs have only won three of their last nine home games against West Ham, who would be delighted to become the first club to leave High Road (they really should call it that) with a goal or two or point or three. The hosts will understandably have one eye on their Champions League semi-final with Ajax on Tuesday evening. And they struggled to break down Brighton & Hove Albion midweek, requiring a late, late Christian Eriksen superstrike to squeak past. So it’s far from a pipe dream for the Hammers.
Spurs can’t take anything for granted in the race to secure a top-four berth and guarantee a Champions League spot for next season, though. Especially with all the teams in that battle acting so erratically. So this is balanced rather deliciously. It’s windy! It’s all to play for! It’s on!
Kick off: 12.30pm BST.
