Tottenham Hotspur managed to salvage a draw, coming back from behind, in a day when nothing clearly went their way. They were down 0-2 till the 80th minute but managed an incredible comeback in the final 15 minutes to draw level at 2-2 with West Ham United.
West Ham must be a disappointed lot after having played a wonderful first and second half. It was just that the Spurs had a bit of luck today which made them eek out of the grave position they were in.
West Ham took a well deserved lead in the 22nd minute, thanks to an incredible header from midfielder, Cheikhou Kouyate which rocketed past Hugo Lloris into the top corner of the net. The hard-pressing of the Hammers had finally paid off. They did not change their attacking tactic and came back stronger in search of goals. However, Spurs were relieved to have not conceded another goal before half-time.
Early in the second-half the scenario did not change much as Spurs were in the backfoot once again and played it defensively. West Ham again got rewarded for their wonderful game, when forward Diafra Sakho netted a goal in the 62nd minute. The West Ham juggernaut was in total display, outclassing Spurs in every aspect. However, hope for the home team returned when Danny Rose’s shot from outside the box, bounced and went into the goal. The match had come alive with Tottenham attacking, in search of an equalizer.
The match saving goal for Tottenham came from talented kid, Harry Kane in extra time when the 21-year old slotted home off a rebound from West Ham’s goalkeeper, Adrian. Adrian saved the penalty but could not keep the ball away from Kane, as he reacted quick to slot it past the hapless Spaniard.
After the match, Kane said that he was stunned when he missed the penalty but thanked his luck for being able to get the goal nevertheless.
“It was a nervous penalty to take but when your luck is in your luck is in. My heart was in my mouth when the keeper saved the first shot but it fell nicely for the rebound”, said the young Tottenham forward.
“I think we deserved the draw, we dug deep at 2-0 down and it shows our character. We were sloppy in the first half but at 2-0 down we started playing better and knew what we had to do. Not one head dropped.”
Tottenham are lucky to have managed a draw after a dismal performance. They could have been strong competitors for a place in the top four finish with a win here but now they are placed sixth in the table, three points behind Manchester United who are placed fourth.