Spurs dismantle West Ham 3-0 as Thomas Frank’s set-piece plan pays off

Tottenham beat West Ham 3-0 at the London Stadium on Saturday as Thomas Frank’s side turned a second-half set-piece barrage into three decisive goals and left their London rivals with 10 men.

Pape Matar Sarr opened the scoring with a powerful header from a corner early in the second half, Lucas Bergvall made it 2-0 with another header after West Ham were reduced to 10 men when Tomas Soucek was sent off for a studs-up challenge, and Micky van de Ven sealed the victory in the 64th minute. The result followed a difficult fortnight for Spurs and was the club’s first match since the departure of chairman Daniel Levy.

The match turned in Tottenham’s favour shortly after the break. Simon’s inswinging corner found Sarr at the back post and the Senegal midfielder headed in his first goal of the season. Moments later, Soucek was shown a straight red for a studs-up tackle on Morten Hjulmand’s midfield colleague Palhinha, leaving West Ham with a numerical disadvantage. Spurs exploited the extra space, Danny Romero’s pass set up Bergvall to loop a header over goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, and Van de Ven finished a move inside the area to make it 3-0.

Thomas Frank’s team had already put the hosts under sustained pressure in the first half through a succession of corners and set plays. Tottenham’s aerial threat was a recurring theme: towering deliveries pinned West Ham’s keeper to his line and, in total, Spurs whipped in numerous corners before finally converting after halftime.

Graham Potter’s side carried a degree of resilience into the interval and offered occasional counter-threats, but could not keep pace with Spurs after the red card. West Ham’s best early chance came when Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes combined with Lucas Paquetá to create a shooting opportunity that Paquetá dragged wide. On the other end, Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus, making his first return to the London Stadium after leaving the club in the summer, forced a save from Hermansen on the rearguard but was subject to jeers throughout the match.

Xavi Simons, a summer signing from RB Leipzig, made his Tottenham debut on the left and had an early impact when his dribble and shot led to a corner that almost produced an early goal. Cristian Romero had a header from that set piece ruled out for a foul after referee Jarred Gillett consulted VAR, which sided with the on-field decision.

Officials rejected a late first-half penalty claim by Tottenham after Micky van de Ven went down under contact from Mateus Fernandes. Van de Ven later scored the third goal, reinforcing Spurs’ dominance in open play as well as from set pieces.

Tottenham’s victory lifted momentum for Frank’s side after the home defeat to Bournemouth two weeks earlier. The match also marked the first appearance of the club’s new executive leadership in the directors’ box, where Vinai Venkatesham, Vivienne Lewis and Nick Beucher watched impassively as Spurs ran out comfortable winners.

West Ham’s defeat left Potter’s team inside the Premier League relegation zone. The home crowd’s mood turned sour in the closing stages, with thousands exiting the stadium before full time. West Ham manager Potter made several substitutions across the game as he searched for a response, including introducing Niclas Füllkrug and others from the bench, but the numerical disadvantage and Spurs’ effective use of set plays proved decisive.

Match statistics showed Spurs controlling the duel for aerial superiority and creating repeated opportunities from corners and wide deliveries. Tottenham’s starting lineup included goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and a midfield anchored by Sarr and Palhinha; Lucas Bergvall was named among the match’s key performers alongside Van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Jarred Gillett officiated the match, with VAR support upholding the red card and earlier set-piece foul calls.

Spurs head coach Thomas Frank will point to the team’s physical presence and tactical preparedness for set plays as evidence of progress, while West Ham face a challenge to halt a slide in league position. Tottenham travel next to face Manchester City, while West Ham must regroup in search of points to climb out of the bottom three.