Tottenham vs West Ham
There’s no love lost between Tottenham and West Ham, whose rivalry seems to have intensified in recent years. Spurs have had the upper hand historically, winning 94 and losing 63 of the pair’s 208 meetings in all competitions, but the Hammers have plenty of cherished memories from this fixture too.
In this slideshow, we count down the most memorable matches between the Lilywhites and the Irons.
13. West Ham 2-1 Tottenham, November 1998
West Ham entered the 100th league meeting between the two teams in buoyant mood, only three points adrift of table-toppers Aston Villa. The 1990s Hammers weren't ones to shy away from a challenge, and their form was reflected in a first-half performance which saw Trevor Sinclair grab a brace to put the match firmly in the hands of Harry Redknapp's men.
In reply, a Tottenham team spearheaded by flamboyant Frenchman David Ginola took the game to West Ham, pulling a goal back through Chris Armstong in the 72nd minute. Spurs pushed for a leveller, but the happy Hammers survived some late pressure to celebrate the century on top.
12. Tottenham 0-3 West Ham, October 2013
Before this game, West Ham hadn’t won at White Hart Lane since 1999. Champions League-chasing Tottenham were heavy favourites to inflict more misery on their rivals, but things didn’t go to plan as Sam Allardyce’s well-organised unit pulled off a mighty shock.
After a goalless half, West Ham rallied to go 2-0 up thanks to efforts from Winston Reid and Ricardo Vaz Te. A superb solo goal from Ravel Morrison sealed an emphatic win for the Hammers, whose supporters took the Tube home with a sizeable smirk on their faces.
11. West Ham 1-0 Tottenham, March 2016
Tottenham were locked in a battle with Leicester for the Premier League title when they made the short trip to east London in March 2016 for their final meeting with West Ham at Upton Park.
The Hammers were having an excellent season themselves and, backed by a vociferous home crowd, took the lead through Michail Antonio early on. Spurs had chances to level the scores but Slaven Bilic’s side could have gone further ahead too; as it happened, Antonio’s sixth-minute effort proved to be the winning goal and handed Leicester the initiative in the title race.
10. Tottenham 0-4 West Ham, September 1981
Although Tottenham were FA Cup holders and would retain that trophy, their domestic campaign began disappointingly. West Ham were a newly-promoted side looking for a win in their first away game, and they got exactly that in emphatic fashion at White Hart Lane.
David Cross came to the fore on a cold Wednesday night, netting all four for the Hammers. The Lancastrian striker was purchased for a handsome £180,000 from West Brom four years previously, but his exploits didn't even earn him the matchball.
Instead, West Ham goalkeeper Phil Parkes took it. Why? “I promised him I’d give him the next I got,” explained Cross, after his colleague had complained he would never get the chance to score a hat-trick. Fair play.
9. Tottenham 4-4 West Ham, December 1962
Eight goals were shared equally at White Hart Lane in December 1962, as Tottenham and West Ham warmed up 44,106 freezing spectators with an exhilarating pre-Christmas clash. Goals from John Smith and Dave Mackay suggested this would be a straightforward afternoon for the hosts – Double-winners 18 months previously – but the Hammers were in no mood to lie down and drew level through efforts from Martin Peters and Joe Kirkup.
Mackay grabbed his second and Spurs’ third after the break, but West Ham again demonstrated their fighting spirit by levelling through Ronnie Boyce and then taking the lead thanks to Tony Scott. The east Londoners couldn’t quite hold on for an impressive win, though, as Mackay completed his hat-trick deep into stoppage time to earn his side a point.
8. Tottenham 3-2 West Ham, September 2002
Rooted to the foot of the Premier League, West Ham were looking for their first league triumph in this early-season fixture; up the sunny end, Spurs were seeking to close the gap table-toppers Arsenal after three victories in their first five outings. Yet despite their contrasting form, the two sides played out an even, end-to-end game at White Hart Lane.
A first-half stalemate deceived underwhelmed spectators, but a second-half goal glut had fans' heads swivelling like they were at Wimbledon's Centre Court. Four strikes in 15 minutes balanced the game at 2-2 as Spurs let a lead slip twice, before centre-back Anthony Gardner netted his first goal for the north Londoners with just two minutes remaining.
7. West Ham 4-3 Tottenham, February 1997
The 1996/97 season was unspectacular for both of these clubs, yet they nevertheless combined to produce a seven-goal thriller at Upton Park in February.
The visitors drew first blood when Teddy Sheringham netted in the sixth minute, but two goals in three minutes from Julian Dicks and Paul Kitson turned West Ham’s 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Darren Anderton was next to strike, levelling things up for Spurs, but John Hartson ensured it was the home side who enjoyed the half-time advantage.
Gerry Francis’ men equalised via a David Howells goal soon after the restart, but it was West Ham who had the last laugh, Dicks hammering a penalty past Ian Walker in typically fuss-free fashion to settle the humdinger in West Ham’s favour.
6. West Ham 2-3 Tottenham, February 2013
As is usually the case, Spurs headed into this game hoping to consolidate a spot in the top four, but things didn’t go to plan... until Gareth Bale intervened, that is.
The fleet-footed winger broke the deadlock with a precision finish early on, but West Ham weren’t to be downed and drew level via an Andy Carroll spot-kick, before Joe Cole gave the hosts a second-half lead.
This fixture occurred on the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore’s death, and how the Hammers could have done with their club legend in his pomp to defend the lead. Gylfi Sigurdsson equalised for Tottenham on 76 minutes, setting the stage for Bale to sink a beauty into the top corner to seal the victory late on.
5. West Ham 2-3 Tottenham, March 2001
The most recent FA Cup clash between the sides showcased an array of promising talent in the form of Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Sol Campbell and Ledley King.
This was Spurs’ third London tie of the competition and the atmosphere reflected it. Sergei Rebrov's opener was cancelled out by Stuart Pearce's leathered leveller, before Tottenham' quick start to the second period – another for Rebrov preceding Gary Doherty's third – saw them gain a two-goal advantage.
Hammers substitute Svetoslav Todorov struck to make the last 15 minutes tense, but Spurs held out to secure an Old Trafford semi-final against Arsenal.
4. West Ham 3-4 Tottenham, March 2007
Relegation battlers West Ham took a 2-0 lead into half-time in this 2007 clash at Upton Park, with Mark Noble’s crisp shot and Carlos Tevez’s superb free-kick putting them in a strong position with 45 minutes remaining.
Jermain Defoe came back to haunt his old club when he converted a penalty after the break, though, before Tottenham drew level when Teemu Tainio notched an equaliser soon after. As the game became increasingly open, Bobby Zamora thought he’d won it for the Hammers when he nodded in Tevez’s cross five minutes from full-time.
But a late Tottenham rally saw Dimitar Berbatov net a swerving free-kick, before Canadian bit-parter Paul Stalteri finished off a blitzing counter-attack to ensure West Ham were deprived of much-needed points.
3. West Ham 5-3 Tottenham, November 1976
The 1976/77 campaign was an infamous one for Tottenham, as it was the last time the north London outfit were relegated from the top tier of English football. Both they and West Ham were in terrible form heading into this match, and yet defending was sacrificed in the search for goals at Upton Park.
The Hammers were languishing at the bottom of the league with only one victory to their name before their London rivals headed across the capital. A side featuring the talents of Pop Robson, Trevor Brooking (pictured) and Alan Curbishley stormed into a 5-1 lead with each of the aforementioned marksmen scoring; Glenn Hoddle and Keith Osgood offered a late reply for the visitors, but it was a case of too little, too late.
West Ham survived the drop that year, despite being only three points better off than last-placed Spurs.
2. West Ham 2-1 Tottenham, May 2006
Ahead of this end-of-season encounter, Tottenham knew they only had to match Arsenal's result against Wigan to secure a Champions League place. The night before, a buffet was laid on at the team’s hotel in Canary Wharf, with the majority of players plumping for the lasagne. Just after midnight, several first-teamers fell ill.
Despite attempts from Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to postpone the fixture, it appeared no such option was viable. Manager Martin Jol was forced to name 10 unwell players in the starting XI and his worst fears were confirmed when West Ham took the lead. Despite Jermain Defoe pulling Tottenham level, West Ham won it thanks to Yossi Benayoun's late strike.
Arsenal beat Wigan 4-2 in their last league game at Highbury, and thus snatched fourth place out of their arch-enemies’ hands.
1. Tottenham 3-3 West Ham, March 1956
Tottenham were in the hunt for their first FA Cup in 25 years ahead of this quarter-final, while West Ham were still searching for their first triumph in the competition. Around 70,000 fans passed through the White Hart Lane gates in the hope of witnessing a gripping encounter – and they weren’t disappointed.
West Ham forward John Dick sent rattles swirling with a hat-trick to give the east Londoners a 3-1 lead, only for Spurs to establish parity on a mud-caked pitch through Len Duquemin and George Robb. Tottenham won the replay 2-1, but would go on to lose to eventual winners Manchester City in the semi-finals.
