West Ham's Bubbles Burst

After another Son & Kane masterclass, Spurs cruise to a 3-1 win over West Ham | Previewing another London derby, this time for the Women's team

Tottenham 3 - 1 West Ham

You've heard this one before...

Kane provided assists for technically two, but basically three Son goals in the home match against West Ham. The first goal was actually a Kurt Zouma own goal, but it had Kane's pass and Son's pressure all over it. It's just a pity Son didn't get the official hat trick.

Honestly though, it would be unfair to give all the credit for the win to Son and Kane alone; the whole team put in a strong effort to support the front line, including and especially our third forward, Kulusevski. The midfield duo of Bentancur and Højbjerg seems to really be gelling, the wingbacks were (mostly) enterprising, and the defense provided a strong backbone to play out from. And in the interest of full accuracy, it should be noted that Son didn't have a flawless game--his defensive lapse on a set-piece allowed for Benhrama to get his shot off and score West Ham's only goal of the match. He was still fully deserving of Man of the Match though, in my opinion.

This was the most stress-free derby I've watched Spurs play in quite a while. There was a brief period in the second half where West Ham enjoyed some decent possession, right after David Moyes made his initial subs for the Hammers, but for the most part, we controlled the game. That doesn't mean I wasn't starting to get nervous when the 80th minute rolled around and we still only had a one-goal advantage, but it definitely would have felt unfair for West Ham to nick a draw. Son's 88th-minute goal sealed the deal and sent Tottenham free and clear into fifth place in the PL table.

It already felt like top 4 was back on after the Brighton win on Wednesday, but now it really feels like the race is kicking back into gear--after the international break is over, of course. This was one of the few remaining matches that I was feeling at all iffy about (the other being Liverpool), so it feels like a major obstacle has been hurdled successfully. There is still the matter of when the home NLD will be rescheduled, but I feel confident that no matter where it is placed in the fixture calendar, we can get the win in that crucial six-pointer.

A few stray observations from the match:

• Conte was looking like a proud dad when he received Son on the sideline after the winger's substitution. Of course, if he wasn't absolutely in love with Son like the rest of us are I would have to seriously question his humanity.

• Although Bentancur's balletic turns on the edge of our defensive 18-yard box lowkey give me heart palpitations, you have to admire his confidence and poise. Not many players would take such a risk. He is unflappable!

• Reguilón is starting to concern me. For one thing, it's not ideal that Sessegnon's injury leaves him without any true competition for his spot. For another, his finishing just doesn't seem to be improving, even as he's had increased game time. Some of those chances he really, really needs to be finishing in order for Conte to be getting the most out of his wingback-centric system. The same goes for Doherty of course, though he didn't have as many clear-cut chances as Regui did in this match and contributed well in other ways (mostly hustle related).

• Romero completed the match without picking up a yellow card. I repeat:  Romero did not get a yellow card! In fact, none of our players were carded. Progress! Romero should also be commended for the squeaky clean tackle he made on Yarmolenko to halt a promising West Ham attack. You have to wonder why Moyes didn't start Yarmolenko, who's been on a real hot streak of form lately--and especially since Antonio's fitness has been an issue and indeed forced his substitution not long into the second half.

• I was really pleased to see a lot more of our attacking movement building out from the back, whether from Lloris (as was the case for the final goal, for which Hugo got the pre-assist) or from the center-backs. And most importantly, we maintained long sequences of possession throughout the midfield (it's nice to actually have a functioning midfield at all, let's be real). I enjoy a quality counter-attack as much as anyone (Son is my favorite player, so that would naturally follow), but it's a positive indication of the squad's overall improvement and the efficacy of Conte's training that we can trouble teams in other ways now. Kulusevski is going to be a big part of this thanks to his willingness to get stuck in offensively and pick out space for his crafty passes (his movement before Son's almost, should-have-been-a goal shortly after the Zouma own goal was exquisite).

• It's often said that Son is an instinctual player, and his second (real) goal was a great example of that reflexive approach to the game. It does help that he and Kane have a (scientifically unproven but long suspected) mind meld that helps them connect on a level that no other Tottenham duo has yet achieved, but there aren't a lot of players in world football with the same uncanny knack for timing as Son. There have been a few matches under Conte's system where he hasn't looked as sharp/comfortable under the limitations of the tactics, but hopefully he's turning a corner now when it comes to adapting to the Italian's preferred methods. And I'm sure Conte himself understands that there are times to execute a gameplan to a tee, and there are other times to be flexible and just do what needs to be done. In big games like a London derby, you can usually count on Sonny to get it done.

The only thing putting a damper on this important derby win is that we can't capitalize on the momentum of finally notching two successive wins just yet. First, several of our players will be heading out for international duty--including Son. Let's hope they all return to Hotspur Way in full fitness and ready to finish the season strong.

Taking on Kerr and Co.

Luckily, we don't have the wait too long for another Spurs game. The Women's team is taking on Chelsea for the first time this season (due to an earlier postponement) on Wednesday.

Chelsea are having an interesting season (and that's without even getting into the Roman Abramovich of it all). They won last season's delayed FA Cup, promptly got knocked out of the Champions League in spectacular fashion, and just lost the League Cup to Manchester City a couple of weeks ago. They've also had more bobbles in the league than usual, but are still capable of inflicting humiliating scorelines on their opponents. And then there's the fact that they have Sam Kerr, inarguably one of the best players in the world--and one of the most determined. Frankly, you can see where all of the Russian oligarch money went if you take a quick perusal of Chelsea's roster. They're stacked.

The good news is that throughout this entire season, our Spurs Women have proven to be undaunted by a gulf in talent. We don't always get the result we want against these top teams, but the effort and commitment are always there. I'm trying to go into this match with no expectations because I genuinely don't know what to expect. A lot of the uncertainty comes from not knowing the injury status of a few of our key players (seriously, when will we ever get injury updates?!), all of them in offensive roles. We've really unlocked the next level of our attack in recent weeks with the shifting of Neville into a more advanced position, and when our forward line is fit and firing, we can certainly score against the top teams. And as always, our strong defense and goalkeeping will continue to be an asset. So I'm eagerly awaiting the lineup news whilst trying to remain zen about it all until then. I suggest y'all do the same!

COYS