West Ham handed Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 defeat at their new Stadium on Saturday in the English Premier League, reports Completesports.com.
After a goalless first half which saw both teams carve out scoring opportunities, Michaili Antonio’s goal in the 67th minute put a dent on Spurs’ Champions League qualification chances with two games left to play.
Antonio became the first visiting player to score at the Spurs new home ground.
Spurs knew that a win could have been enough to secure a top-four spot with two games to spare should results have also gone their way on Sunday, but they offered little response to falling behind and it was West Ham who initially looked more likely to get the game’s second goal.
Arnautovic did well to dig out a curling effort which Lloris needed to save, and Antonio almost struck again nine minutes from time after beating Ben Davies for pace and forcing the Spurs keeper into another smart stop at his near post.
Even Isaa Diop almost got in on the action with a spectacular solo run which took him from deep inside his own half until he only had the keeper to beat, but after doing the hard work his finish was tired and Lloris tippee it behind for a corner.
The stretched nature of Tottenham’s squad was highlighted by the fact that they finished with a strike partnership of Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen, although the latter almost made himself the unlikely hero when his last-gasp header was cleared off the line by Fabian Balbuena.
West Ham held on for only their second away league win over Spurs in the last 17 attempts, though, and their first in 21 against top-six sides.
Tottenham, meanwhile, fall to their first home defeat in 10 matches but remain in control of a top-four spot regardless of what happens when Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all play on Sunday
They are four points above fifth-placed Arsenal having now played a game more than their rivals.
Spurs travel to the South Coast to face Bournemouth in their next EPL game while West Ham prepare for the visit of Southampton who make the trip up to London next Saturday.
By Johnny Edward
