Soccer
Tottenham 3-1 West Ham: Spurs up to fifth place in Premier League
The race for fourth place in the Premier League got a little bit tighter as Tottenham Hotspur claimed a 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.
Both teams are in the hunt for England's last 2022-23 Champions League spot, currently held by Arsenal. Prior to kick-off, the fourth-place Gunners held a multi-point cushion and games in hand on Spurs and the Hammers, as well as sixth-place Manchester United, but Sunday's result sees Tottenham climb to within three points of their North London rivals to emerge as Arsenal's top challenger for the final UCL berth.
Visiting West Ham dug themselves into an early hole on Sunday when Kurt Zouma scored an own goal in the ninth minute to give Tottenham the lead. A Son Heung-min strike in the 24th minute doubled the advantage, although Saïd Benrahma's 35th-minute finish brought the Hammers back to within a goal.
Unfortunately for visitors, that would be as close as they would get. Spurs did well to control the second half, not allowing any West Ham shots on target over the course of the closing 45 minutes. Son then put the match out of reach in the 88th minute with a well-executed counterattack.
The victory gives Tottenham 51 points after 29 matches, while West Ham remain on 48 points. They sit fifth and seventh, respectively.
