Tottenham Hotspur’s quest to secure a Champions League slot hit yet another snag after failing to come away from the London Stadium with maximum points in the bag.
Ange Postecoglou’s troops had to settle for a share of the spoils in an entertaining yet frustrating 1-1 draw against capital foes West Ham United, missing a chance to leapfrog Aston Villa into the top four.
It is now one win from our last three games (D1, L1), and our inability to build a head of steam is particularly worrying considering the daunting run of games looming on the horizon.
Up next is a home game against Nottingham Forest, who will be brimming with confidence after comfortably dispatching Fulham 3-1 at City Ground. They’ll be keen to build on their success in North London as they battle for Premier League survival.
However, having dropped points against West Ham, we can’t afford to go consecutive games without a win, with crucial games against Newcastle United, Arsenal, and Liverpool just around the corner.
Following the dramatic comeback victory against Luton Town, Postecoglou would have been delighted to see his team get off to a lightning start as Brennan Johnson opened the scoring inside the opening five minutes.
However, that lead didn’t last too long as Kurt Zouma popped up with a captain’s goal to draw West Ham level. Despite enjoying the bulk of possession, we didn’t create enough to nick it at the death.
While dropping points at home isn’t ideal, Spurs fans can find solace in the hope that Manchester City can do us a favour when they face Villa on Wednesday.
A Man City victory would halt Villa’s momentum and prevent them from extending their lead in the race for Champions League qualification to five points.
It’s worth noting that we still have a game in hand which we must utilise, but a defeat for Villa at the Etihad Stadium could swing the pendulum back in our favour.