West Ham vs Tottenham

Separated by just one point and one position in the lower half of the Premier League standings, London rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur face off at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Graham Potter’s side has had a week to reflect on their heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, while Tottenham have one foot in this season’s Europa League final after a strong showing.

Thanks to the fastest goal ever in a Europa League semi-final, Tottenham are on course for a probable final showdown with Manchester United, though their 3-1 victory over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday was less convincing than it could have been.

Brennan Johnson’s strike within the first minute, James Maddison’s precise low shot, and Dominic Solanke’s cool penalty put Spurs in command against Bodo/Glimt, but a late goal conceded offered the Norwegian side a glimmer of hope heading into the second leg on their artificial pitch.

Still, Ange Postecoglou is potentially 180 minutes from delivering on his second-season trophy promise at Tottenham, though questions linger about whether a first major trophy in 17 years and a Champions League return would secure his position.

While Liverpool celebrated clinching the Premier League title last weekend, Tottenham—who briefly led at Anfield before suffering a 5-1 thrashing—were left to rue their 19th league defeat of the season. Postecoglou risks becoming the first Spurs manager to lose 20 games in a single top-flight campaign.

A fourth consecutive Premier League loss this weekend—and a fifth straight away defeat—could see Tottenham plummet to a shocking 17th place. However, they can draw comfort from the fact that West Ham’s domestic season has been equally dismal.

Reflecting the mood at West Ham, Graham Potter faced questions about his well-being during Friday’s pre-match press conference, having appeared dejected and frustrated after the Brighton loss.

Leading 2-1 against Brighton with two minutes of normal time remaining, West Ham saw victory slip away when Kaoru Mitoma equalized, before Carlos Baleba’s deflected, speculative effort stunningly secured all three points for the Seagulls.

Brighton’s joy was West Ham’s misery on the South Coast, as the Hammers’ winless Premier League streak stretched to seven games—their last victory dating back to February against Leicester City. While Newcastle’s thrashing of Ipswich Town ensured their top-flight survival, it offered little comfort after another disappointing result.

The Irons’ latest collapse means they’ve now dropped 12 points from winning positions since Graham Potter took charge—only relegated Southampton (14) have fared worse in that span. And their 4-1 humiliation against Tottenham in October is a match best forgotten.

Yet there’s a glimmer of hope for West Ham: last April, they held Spurs to a 1-1 draw in this same fixture, extending their unbeaten home league run against their London rivals to four matches. Their last defeat to Tottenham at home came back in 2019, suggesting they might yet find a way to frustrate them again.