Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-0 win over West Ham

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways and broke back into the top four this evening with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned: 

Royal Emerson – 

Isn’t it always the way? Tottenham finally spend money on a problem position, and the very player they were trying to replace hits form. At the moment, Pedro Porro can’t get a kick. Partly because he is still learning Conte’s system, but largely because Emerson Royal is playing so well.

The Brazilian was one of Tottenham’s main driving forces in attack this evening and capped it off with a well-taken finish assisted by his opposite wing-back, Ben Davies. But he was also creative on the ball and solid at the back too. A great performance and Emerson is creating some interesting competition at right-wing-back.

Son off the bench – 

I think we all knew this was coming and we all knew it was needed. Sometimes, when a player is out of form, they just need a change up to the routine. Coming off the bench and running at tired defenders gave Son the chance to exploit space and take the game to West Ham, which he did expertly on the break.

Seeing that Kane pass into Son on the shoulder was exactly what Spurs have been missing this season. His well-taken goal took him outright second in Tottenham’s all-time leading Premier League scorers chart. Not sure who is in first.

Stellini Mr 100% – 

It is important that Conte nurses himself back to full fitness, no matter how long that takes. And it’s especially comforting knowing that Stellini, Mason and co are doing such a good job in the dugout in his absence. The assistant head coach has now continued his 100% record as Spurs boss, winning three games out of three. Chelsea are up next though…

Romero injury concerns – 

While he did end up playing 90 minutes, Cristian Romero did go down a couple of times throughout the match and seemed to be in some discomfort off the ball towards the end of the game. Fingers crossed it is not yet another injury for the centre-back, as Spurs often look lost without him.

Skipp given the nod – 

It appears Skipp is slightly ahead of Pape Matar Sarr in the pecking order at the moment, getting the nod over the youngster today to partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. And while untidy on the ball at times, Skipp offered a lot to the engine room with his tackles and turnovers. He actually has a similar play style to Hojbjerg himself. The unfortunate truth is that there is no like-for-like replacement for Rodrigo Bentancur, which will hurt Tottenham.

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