Tottenham go fourth as Emerson and Son goals down West Ham

Emerson Royal
Tottenham wing-back Emerson Royal celebrates his goal against West Ham (Image credit: Getty)

Tottenham Hotspur climbed into the top four of the Premier League for the first time in 2023 with a 2-0 victory over West Ham United.

Emerson Royal opened the scoring in the 56th minute after being teed up by Ben Davies.

Son Heung-min later wrapped up the win with his first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since October.

The result moves Spurs above Newcastle United, who were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool on Saturday, and into the Champions League places.

Meanwhile West Ham remain in the bottom three after a three-match unbeaten run was brought to an end by their London rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur

Son Heung-min scored Tottenham's second goal against West Ham (Image credit: Getty)

The first chance of the game fell to the visitors, as Jarrod Bowen volleyed wide with less than a minute on the clock.

It was a first half of few opportunities but Tottenham gradually grew into the game.

Richarlison drew a save from Lukasz Fabianski after being played through by Harry Kane, before Cristian Romero landed a header on the roof of the net.

Tottenham made a strong start to the second period, with Richarlison and Kane both spurning presentable openings.

But Spurs took the lead soon through Emerson soon after. Hojbjerg's defence-splitting pass found Davies, who set up his fellow wing-back for his second goal of the season.

Jarrod Bowen

Jarrod Bowen looks dejected during West Ham's 2-0 defeat by Tottenham (Image credit: Getty)

Fraser Forster had to be alert to deny Jarrod Bowen at the other end, as West Ham pushed for a quick equaliser.

But Tottenham soon took control of the match once more, and Dejan Kulusevski stung the palms of Fabianski with an effort from the corner of the box.

The home team doubled their lead in the 72nd minute after Angelo Ogbonna failed to deal with a bouncing ball. 

Kane won possession and slid in Son, who made no mistake in rolling the ball into the net.

West Ham had more of the ball in the closing stages but failed to breach their opponents' backline, as Tottenham held on for an important victory.

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).