As West Ham United became the latest team to overcome a deficit and defeat Ange Postecoglou’s team in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur’s season reached a new low.
Encouraged by Cristian Romero’s return from his three-match suspension, the Argentine made a strong statement by scoring the first goal and igniting the home crowd’s cheers with a precise header from Pedro Porro’s corner.
Postecoglou-Angel-Hatspur-Tottenham
Nevertheless, Spurs faltered after the break as Jarrod Bowen took advantage of a fortunate deflection to get past Guglielmo Vicario’s goal, and James Ward-Prowse scored his third goal for the Hammers after hitting the post with his first attempt thanks to a disastrous backpass from Destiny Udogie.
WEST HAM LEAD!
A poor backpass hands James Ward-Prowse a dream gift and he makes no mistake! ⚒️#PLonPrime #TOTWHU pic.twitter.com/eB64deW7ta
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 7, 2023
Numbers from Destiny Udogie’s game
It’s a great shame that the young Italian, who had made such great progress early on, saw it all come crashing down after such a botched pass back to his keeper.
Making a mistake like this serves as a poignant reminder of his youth and inexperience in the English game.
1-2 (Ward-Prowse 74′)
— Charlie Eccleshare (@CDEccleshare) December 7, 2023
This shouldn’t take away from Postecoglou’s stellar debut, though, as players like Hunter Godson have said he “gets into nearly every team in the world already.”
According to Sofascore, he completed 86% of his passes, won eight duels, and made four interceptions and clearances each against West Ham, but his efforts were severely hindered by a costly mistake. He also only managed 73 touches.
Although Dejan Kulusevski’s defensive error cost Postecoglou, those of the attacking side should bear the true responsibility for their flattering and deceitful actions following a lackluster, albeit energetic, performance.
The way Dejan Kulusevski performed against West Ham
Despite being a starter in every Premier League game this season, Kulusevski, a 23-year-old winger, has been outstanding for Tottenham this season and is unquestionably one of the team’s most significant and influential players. However, he will be disappointed that his efforts have not been put to much use.
Alasdair Gold of football.london rated the 35-cap Sweden international’s performance as a 4/10, saying there was “plenty of hustle and bustle but like the rest of the front three very little at the end.”
He did pose a constant threat down the right channel, but he was unable to create any meaningful opportunities. In the final moments, he broke free down the wing, but he lost his footing and was unable to cross the ball into the box.
Tottenham, Kulasevski, Richardson, Premier League, Fulham
To put it another way, Kuluevski only won five of the twenty-one contested ground duels that he attempted, failed on all four crosses, and lost possession 26 times. Those are some awful statistics, as the Lilywhites’ decline against the Hammers.
That being said, he was always attempting to craft success, but it just wasn’t to be and he will be left rueing his lack of incisiveness on the night.
