Tottenham player ratings vs West Ham: Son Heung-min haunts Hammers again & Dejan Kulusevski shines as Spurs rip apart London rivals

Tottenham eased the pressure on Ange Postecoglou with a 4-1 win against West Ham, whose own boss Julen Lopetegui will be facing fresh criticism after falling apart in north London.

The hosts faced plenty of scrutiny for their collapse at Brighton heading into the international break, and their weak attempts at defending came under the microscope again when West Ham took an early lead. Jarrod Bowen was easily able to spin away from Destiny Udogie down the right-hand side of the 18-yard-box and fire a low cross towards the back post for Mohammed Kudus to lash in.

Pent-up frustration was emanating from the stands to the pitch, but Spurs managed to channel that emotion and found an equaliser soon after. James Maddison led a counter attack through the middle of the pitch and shifted play wide to Dejan Kulusevski, who cut back infield and fired in off the inside of the post.

On the other side of half-time, Tottenham turned the game around and went in front for the first time. Son Heung-min combined well with Udogie in the left channel, and the Italian’s cut-back found Yves Bissouma, with the midfielder thundering in past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

All of a sudden, West Ham were in free-fall. A swift counter attack saw Kulusevski break into the box and lay the ball back for Son, whose strike bounced between the boots of Areola and Jean-Clair Todibo and rolled over the line.

Tottenham weren’t done yet and they had their fourth before the hour mark. Pape Matar Sarr’s quick thinking saw him pick out Son, who ran through to goal and slotted home to send the home fans into bashful delirium.

The visitors’ misery was compounded late on when Kudus received a red card after a VAR check for violent conduct and Tottenham cruised to victory.

GOAL rates Spurs’ players from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Guglielmo Vicario (6/10):

  Made a fine save early doors to keep out Kudus before the Ghanian gave him no chance for the opening goal. Donned a cap in the second half in a real throwback to a forgotten age of football. Hardly troubled on corners and crosses on this occasion.

  Pedro Porro (6/10):

  Often afforded a lot of space to the dangerous Kudus, though made up for this porous attempt at defending with some fine contributions going forward, testing West Ham with his whipped crossing.

  Cristian Romero (7/10):

  The player Tottenham for the most part leant on to start attacks from the back. Lived on the front foot with his centre-back partner dealing with runs in behind.

  Micky van de Ven (6/10):

  Made light work of his duels with Antonio, though his subpar agility was put to the test by the tricky wing duo of Bowen and Kudus. The latter was sent off late on for clawing the Dutchman across the face.

  Destiny Udogie (6/10):

  West Ham targeted the young Italian in the opening exchanges and found their opening goal down his side. However, he showed great mental resilience to not let that deter him and ended up putting in one hell of a shift up and down the left flank. Came off for Gray in the closing stages.

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    Midfield

    Yves Bissouma (7/10):

    Brought back in for Rodrigo Bentancur and appeared rusty at first, with a couple of heavy touches fortunately going unpunished. Came out for the second half with renewed vigour and put Spurs ahead with his second goal of the season.

    Dejan Kulusevski (8/10):

    Relishing life as Tottenham’s main central midfielder. Consistently took up the invitation to run at West Ham and carry the ball between the lines. Rewarded for his hard graft with a lovely goal, which saw him match compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tally for Premier League strikes.

    James Maddison (6/10):

    Provided the assist for Kulusevski in the first half. Took a few bruises from heavy tackles before being withdrawn at the break.

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    Attack

    Brennan Johnson (6/10):

    Went close to extending his run of goals to eight in eight for club and country, but just came up short. Provided the pace needed to stretch West Ham’s defence and open up holes for his fellow attackers to get into.

    Dominic Solanke (6/10):

    Like Johnson was unlucky not to have scored too. Pressed all afternoon long and made light work of Todibo. Again proved to be a perfect fit for Postecoglou’s system.

    Son Heung-min (8/10):

    What a way to mark your comeback from injury. A slightly prolonged rest did Son the world of good and he looked five years younger, sizing up West Ham and tearing them apart. Replaced by Werner for the final 20 minutes.

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    Subs & Manager

    Pape Matar Sarr (8/10):

    Introduced at half-time in place of Maddison and brought the requisite energy needed to steamroll West Ham into submission.

    Timo Werner (5/10):

    Missed a header and brought out a disappointed head-shake from Lord Sugar in the stands when running the ball out of play.

    Richarlison (6/10):

    Greeted with a standing ovation upon his return from injury. Given a run out for the final ten minutes.

    Rodrigo Bentancur (6/10):

    Brought on at the same time as Richarlison in place of goal-scorer Bissouma.

    Archie Gray (N/A):

    Took to the pitch for the final minutes, replacing Udogie.

    Ange Postecoglou (7/10):

    Tottenham were too easy to play through at points but ultimately his side’s attacking prowess proved too much to handle.