Three winners and three losers from Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 win over West Ham - Opinion

Tottenham Hotspur destroyed West Ham United, and certain players really stood out during the Premier League victory.

Tottenham Hotspur travelled to the London Stadium with a point to prove, after slipping up against Bournemouth before the international break. West Ham got off to a dreadful start in the Premier League, but shocked Nottingham Forest in their previous fixture.

Despite these surprising results, Spurs battered their London rivals 3-0 to secure a first victory in Stratford since 2019.

Here are the three winners and losers of Tottenham’s impressive victory against West Ham on Saturday evening.

Pape Matar Sarr got his goal

Pape Matar Sarr began to show his abilities in front of goal last season, and he was a real threat during Tottenham’s summer friendlies. He now has his first Premier League goal of the season, after heading the ball in from a corner as West Ham’s defenders could only stand by and watch.

The fact that Sarr scored in this particular fixture is important because Xavi Simons made his debut. However, rather than playing Simons in attacking midfield and dropping Sarr, Thomas Frank started both, and they combined to open the scoring.

Sarr has given his manager something to think about. Simons may have looked a little limited out on the left, but is it worth playing him there so there is room for Sarr in the team?

Lucas Bergvall impressed again for Tottenham

Lucas Bergvall had a miserable international break with Sweden. He was called up to his national team only to be an unused substitute in a draw and a defeat against Slovenia and Kosovo, respectively.

Things improved for Bergvall when he returned to North London. The 19-year-old was handed his first start since the 3-0 win over Burnley on the opening weekend of the league season, and he made the most of it.

Bergvall scored a brilliant header and also got an assist. It would be very harsh if he is not awarded another start against either Villarreal or Brighton & Hove Albion.

Tottenham’s defensive duo were key to the victory

This is technically two players, but it is difficult to mention one without commenting on the other. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were both solid against West Ham and kept yet another clean sheet.

On top of this, van de Ven scored with an exceptional strike. It is not the first time the Netherlands international has displayed his shooting skills. Romero contributed in attack too, assisting Bergvall with an excellent ball over the top of the West Ham defence.

The Tottenham captain would have also been on the scoresheet, but his goal was disallowed due to a shocking decision by the referee, which VAR failed to overturn. van de Ven was shoved into a defender who hit the ground, and just like that, Romero was denied his moment. This was unable to spoil a great display by both centre-backs.

Now, let’s take a look at the three losers from Tottenham’s 3-0 win over West Ham.

Djed Spence did not have his finest game

Djed Spence came off the bench to make his England debut against Serbia and he will have been delighted to come back to Tottenham and start ahead of Destiny Udogie. Unfortunately, he was a long way off his best and received the lowest rating of any Spurs player in the starting lineup on Fotmob.

Spence failed to place an accurate cross and he had one touch in the West Ham penalty box. His 0.01 xA showed his lack of creativity, while he lost possession 22 times. On top of this, the left back only won four of his 11 ground duels and he received a booking.

The left back position is one of the most competitive in the Tottenham team because if one player is underperforming, he will very quickly be replaced. Spence’s performance against West Ham was by no means a disaster, but any underwhelming display could lead to Udogie replacing him in the starting lineup.

Mathys Tel failed to seize a rare opportunity for Spurs

The inclusion of Mathys Tel on Saturday was a surprising decision, but it does make sense considering the French forward has not been selected in the Champions League squad.

Tel started as a striker, the position he was originally supposed to play when he first joined the club on loan. He failed to land a shot on target after 80 minutes on the pitch and was replaced by Wilson Odobert.

Despite frequently scoring goals for France U21s, Tel has been unable to bring that form to Tottenham. Perhaps at this point in time, the Premier League is simply too great a challenge. There is plenty of time for Tel to develop into a fine player, but it is unlikely he will get many minutes this season unless he starts showing the quality we are yet to see.

Brennan Johnson was benched by Thomas Frank

The all-round displays of Brennan Johnson have left much to be desired, but he is still a good goalscorer. The Welshman has already found the back of the net twice this season.

However, Frank made the decision to leave Johnson out of his squad against West Ham and his team were no worse off as a result. Simons and Sarr both made registered goal contributions, while Mohammed Kudus impressed again with his dribbling.

Johnson seemed to have found a first-team safe spot in the left wing position, but Simons could threaten that if Frank decides to keep playing him there. He will have to show he is capable of helping the team as a whole and actively affecting the game, rather than just popping up every now and then to score a goal.

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