A well-worked goal by Michail Antonio ensured West Ham United became the first visiting team to win at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium as Mauricio Pochettino’s third-placed side missed the chance to effectively secure a Premier League top-four place on Saturday.
The 1-0 defeat further confused the position behind soaraway frontrunners Liverpool and Manchester City, neither of whom played on Saturday, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United also chasing the final two Champions League spots.
At the bottom, Southampton guaranteed their survival with a thrilling 3-3 home draw against neighbours Bournemouth while Cardiff City’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham left them desperately hoping that Newcastle United would scrape a win at relegation rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday’s late kickoff.
Spurs, who had not even conceded a goal in their first four games back home, were looking for a boost ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Ajax but failed to impress against a dangerous West Ham side who had taken just one point from their previous eight away league games.
Pochettino said the best way to now approach Tuesday — and one of the most important games in the club’s history — was simply to forget about Saturday’s setback.
“We have to forget about it, move on and think about Tuesday,” he said.
Antonio’s goal owed much to Marko Arnautovic whose dinked through ball allowed his partner a fraction of space to take the ball down on his chest and strike it firmly past Hugo Lloris. The defeat was Spurs’ first in the league at their home ground since May 2016 when Southampton were the winners.
Antonio marked his winner with an exuberant goal celebration and said he was delighted to become the first opposition player to score in the new stadium.
“It is great to put ourselves into history. For us it is a great achievement because West Ham have a big rivalry with Spurs. We are loving it; the fans are loving it,” he said.
Southampton striker Shane Long’s rich vein of form continued with his fourth goal in five games after 12 minutes. But after the Irishman missed an even easier chance for his second, Bournemouth hit back with goals from Dan Gosling and Callum Wilson.
An excellent strike from James Ward-Prowse and a bullet header from substitute Matt Targett put the Saints back in front before Wilson levelled things although the point ensured the Saints will go marching on in the top flight next season.
A stunning strike from Ryan Babel gave already relegated Fulham their third successive Premier League win — equalling their best — and narrowed Cardiff’s escape options. The visitors mounted a storming finish, with Bobby Reid hitting the bar, but remain cut adrift with two games left.
Saturday’s game was interrupted by a worrying seven-minute stoppage when home defender Denis Odoi was accidentally kicked in the head by team mate Maxine Le Marchand.
Odoi required oxygen to revive him and was eventually carried off on a stretcher but manager Scott Parker later said the Belgian was fine.
“Denis is okay, I have just seen him,” Parker said. “It was a big head injury; he was out of it for a few seconds which was concerning but he is fine and will be okay.”
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo said revenge was not in his thinking ahead of their rematch with their FA Cup semi-final conquerors Watford but he will nevertheless be delighted by the 2-1 win courtesy of strikes from prolific scorers Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota.
The win moved seventh-placed Wolves four points clear of Everton, who drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace, and Watford.
REUTERS