For Tottenham, playing West Ham has never quite had the feel a London derby should have. Facing Arsenal or Chelsea stirs a certain passion in Spurs fans that doesn’t materialise against the Hammers.
That superiority complex is one of the things that makes it such a huge occasion for the east Londoners when they do get one over on their rivals. They will have two opportunities to do just that in the next month, with the two sides having been drawn against each other in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. First, they’ll meet on Saturday lunchtime in the Premier League.
In the past two seasons, Slaven Bilic’s men have twice delighted in delivering a major dent to Spurs’ title ambitions. May’s 1-0 victory was the crowning moment in the London Stadium’s short history as a football ground.
Both West Ham and Spurs fans have fond memories of this fixture, however, as it’s thrown up some classics over the years.
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West Ham 2-1 Tottenham (2005/2006)
Martin Jol’s troops headed to Upton Park knowing all they had to do was match Arsenal’s result against Wigan to achieve Champions League football, which was still a distant dream at that time. Arsenal were preparing to say goodbye to Highbury when news broke that Tottenham’s squad had been hit with food poisoning, the result of a dodgy lasagne the night before. To their credit, West Ham agreed the game could be postponed as long as it didn’t interfere with their FA Cup final against Liverpool a week later, but it wasn’t possible. Spurs were initially unsure if they even had 11 healthy players though they managed to field a line-up, albeit one which succumbed to a 2-1 defeat. Carl Fletcher put West Ham one up, before Jermain Defoe equalised and Paul Robinson saved a Teddy Sheringham penalty – but it was Yossi Benayoun who had the final say. Heartbreak for Jol and his men.
Tottenham 3-2 West Ham (2016/2017)
Although Spurs eventually went unbeaten in their last season at White Hart Lane, they came very close to losing that record back in November. The visitors twice went ahead thanks to Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini, goals which sandwiched a debut strike from an emotional Harry Winks. It was Harry Kane who turned the game around with an equaliser in the 89th minute, followed up by a penalty in the 91st. Winston Reid’s sending off five minutes later summed up a miserable day for Bilic.
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham (2012/2013)
The Andre Villas-Boas era is rarely remembered with excitement at Tottenham. This was one evening when that pattern changed, with Gareth Bale scoring one of his finest goals for the club. Approaching the end of normal time, the Welshman looked to the referee for a free-kick and when he didn’t get one, he took the ball from Tom Carroll and blasted it into the top right-hand corner. Within a few months, Bale was at Real Madrid. It was also a moving occasion as West Ham paid tribute to Bobby Moore on the 20th anniversary of his death.
West Ham 4-3 Tottenham (1996/1997)
A proper rollercoaster of a derby. It’s hard to believe these sides had Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell in their respective defences. David Howells must have thought he’d earned Spurs a point before Julian Dicks’ penalty won it for the Hammers. This was a Tottenham side that should have been doing better than it was, with the likes of Sheringham and Darren Anderton in their ranks. Gerry Francis was in the last few months of his reign. The first three goals were headers and the pitch left a lot to be desired, yet it was still a match of rip-roaring brilliance.
West Ham 3-4 Tottenham (2006/2007)
Out for revenge following their final-day disappointment the previous season, Spurs inflicted a huge blow to West Ham’s survival hopes that season. Mark Noble and Carlos Tevez gave the Hammers a two-goal lead before a Defoe penalty and a well-taken half-volley from Teemu Tainio levelled things up. Bobby Zamora thought he’d won it late on, only for Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Stalteri to hand the Lilywhites the three points. The commentary for the Canadian’s winner was iconic: “It’s Jermain Defoe, he’s got Lennon up with him and only Konchesky to beat at the moment. Defoe…Oh no!”
