Tottenham player ratings at half-time vs West Ham as backline is broken and Mathys Tel earns respect
Tottenham hosted London rivals West Ham this afternoon and we’ve got the lowdown on how the players performed in an eventful first-half.
An action-packed opening 15 minutes left Tottenham a goal down after Crysencio Summerville gave the Hammers the lead. Spurs were also forced to make their first change of the game shortly after, with Ben Davies leaving the field on a stretcher.
It could have been worse, too, as West Ham piled on the pressure in search of a second goal. Still, Spurs had the majority of possession and their fair of chances, but nothing incisive enough to really suggest they could level the scores.
Summerville was the main source of pain for Spurs, with the Lilywhites unable to handle the West Ham man, much to the frustration of the home supporters. Jarrod Bowen even had the ball in the back of the net later in the half, but the goal was ruled out for offside to give Thomas Frank’s men a lucky escape.
Tottenham player ratings after first 45 minutes against West Ham
Guglielmo Vicario – 7
Was left exposed by his defence for the opening goal, but pulled off a good reaction stop in the build-up to Bowen’s disallowed goal. Made another brilliant save with five minutes of the half to go, stretching to deny a Mavropanos header.
Pedro Porro – 5
Was run ragged by Crysencio Summerville. Hardly had a chance to get forward and when he did, his passing was found lacking. Has to improve his positioning and awareness.
Cristian Romero – 6
Showed some spirit and fight as the half went on and had his usual air of composure on the ball. Romero was also struggling to handle Castellanos at first but the Spurs skipper did grow into the game.
Micky van de Ven – 6
Similar to Romero, Micky van de Ven had his hands full but found his feet as the game went on. Won a few duels and looked calm enough, but could have impacted the game more with the ball at his feet.
Ben Davies – N/A
Stretchered off after 15 minutes so would be unfair to really judge his display.
Archie Gray – 7
Stepped in for the injured Joao Palhinha and made sure his presence was felt. Put in some tough tackles, constantly tried to link up play around the midfield area. Did pick up a booking though.
Conor Gallagher – 6
Gallagher was thrown into the Spurs starting XI for his debut, but will be a little bit disappointed with his showing in the first half. Not a bad performance so far, but the experienced midfielder has struggled to put his stamp on the game and was fairly anonymous in the middle of the park.
Wilson Odobert – 5
Had opportunities to take on the West Ham defence and cause problems but made some poor decisions and held onto the ball for too long. His dribbling isn’t working today, and he needs to be more sharp and incisive in the second half.
Xavi Simons – 5
Guilty of some terrible passing, gifting West Ham possession a number of times. This should be the kind of game he relishes, but Xavi Simons has gone missing.
Mathys Tel – 7
The best Spurs player on the pitch so far. Had a few attempts, caused problems for West Ham, and looked like he really wanted to step up and make a difference. If Tottenham are to get back into this game, Mathys Tel will be the instigator.
Randal Kolo Muani – 5
Never looked like making anything happen. We need our striker to be more active, to press and hunt for the ball, but Kolo Muani was a passenger in that first half. Would not be surprised to see him replaced at half-time; surely Dominic Solanke is better suited to this match now?
Djed Spence – 6
Jumped into the game and dealt with the pressure fairly well. His battle with Jarrod Bowen has been a fascinating one, but he has to take some responsibility for the fact the West Ham skipper was able to poke home his offside goal.
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