West Ham vs Tottenham: 5 things we learned from Spurs' 3-2 win over the Hammers

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Tottenham clinched all three points on Saturday afternoon after securing a 3-2 win over rivals West Ham at the London Stadium.

A Harry Kane brace and Christian Eriksen strike fired Mauricio Pochettino's men to victory, though Serge Aurier's dismissal made for an interesting final 20 minutes in east London.

Javier Hernandez and Cheikhou Kouyate pulled two goals back for the home side but it wasn't to be enough as the visitors held on for the win, consigning Slaven Bilic's men to their fourth defeat of the season

Here's five things we learned:

Michail Antonio’s injury and subsequent substitution inside the opening 30 minutes ultimately sealed West Ham’s fate. Andy Carroll’s initial exclusion pointed to a Bilic game-plan that was focused on a high press and suffocating Tottenham’s midfield unit. But in replacing the Englishman with the big Geordie lad, and not Andrew Ayew or Diafra Sakho who would have made for better options, the West Ham boss opted to throw caution to the wind – and it backfired spectacularly.

Out went the first game-plan, which had worked surprisingly well for the Hammers in the first quarter, and in came the ‘lump-it-long’ approach. As a result, pockets of space quickly opened up in the centre of the park for Tottenham’s midfield men, affording them time and space to stamp their authority on the match. Before Bilic had time to blink, his side were 2-0 down and the game all but finished. Although his men went on to fight back, such decision-making ultimately lost his side the game.

Serge Aurier certainly adds something different to this Tottenham side. His blend of athleticism and genuine technical ability suits Pochettino’s style well but it’s his unpredictability which looks set to keep opposition teams, and home fans as well for that matter, on their toes. With his propensity for bombing forward, Tottenham can expect a steady supply of crosses from that right flank – as was the case today at the London Stadium.

But in doing so, Spurs’ right flank looks far more vulnerable than it did with Kyle Walker in the side. Before Kane’s opener, the home side enjoyed a degree of success down the left, with Marko Arnautovic surging forward on a number of occasions to threaten the Tottenham box. His last-ditch, if somewhat illegal, tackle on the Austrian in the first half showed what’s he capable of but there were haphazard moments, too, which suggested the Frenchman remains rough round the edges. Indeed, his sending off summed up an afternoon of questionable decision-making which left Tottenham sweating for the final 20 minutes of the game. A player with a low floor but high ceiling, Aurier breaks the Tottenham mould – but is this what they need?

Adding a further two strikes to his tally for the season, Kane has scored now 11 goals in his last five away games. Neither were particularly spectacular – one a well-taken header and the other a smart side-footed shot into an open net after Dele Alli’s saved effort – but both embodied his efficiency as a striker, his clairvoyance in predicting where the ball will be at the right time. He makes everything look so easy – as if time has slowed down to the beat of his own drum.

Kane’s movement was sublime as usual, too, linking up well with the players in and around him, but there was nothing jaw-dropping, physics-defying to his play at the London Stadium – and that’s the point. Consistently solid, while sticking to the basics, Kane’s whole is undoubtedly greater than the sum of his individual parts. Collectively, his simple traits, implemented to a T, make for a world class player. Tottenham are lucky to have him.

Ah, Chicharito. With his boyish smile and predator-like instinct for the back of the net, it makes you question what the forward is doing at a side like West Ham. In a better team, with greater, more reliable service, there’s no doubt the 29-year-old would be put to better use.

At West Ham, then, the Mexican has been forced to make the best out of a bad situation. His double against Southampton was a reminder of his nose for the net, as was his goal today. A close-range header, coming 10 minutes too late unfortunately, it was everything you’d expect from the player: opportunistic and a case of ‘right time, right place’. He tested Hugo Lloris with another hopeful header moments later and although it wasn’t to be, it alluded to his ‘never-say-die’ spirit and willingness to fight to the end. With numerous dark moments surely set to come West Ham’s way in the next few months, Hernandez offers his side some hope of salvation.

Until Hernandez's goal, this game looked set to be a case of damage limitations for the home side. Especially after Carroll's substitution, West Ham were the inferior side as Tottenham found their stride over a 30-minute spell, coming either side of the half-time whistle, to clinch the goals that ultimately won it for them. But after the Mexican's header, the home side upped the ante and were given a new lease of life after Kouyate's late strike. It was a surge which pointed to a fighting spirit - that took on an all too literal form in the dying minutes of the game - which will be required by the side in the months ahead. After Bilic's poor tactical decision set them back in the early stages of the game, West Ham's players took it upon themselves to fight back. The result will obviously come as a disappointment to the fans but the Hammers' fighting spirit certainly won't.