West Ham 1-1 Tottenham
Goalkeeper Robert Green saved a last-minute penalty from Jermain Defoe to atone for an earlier howler and ensure West Ham earned a point from a thrilling encounter at Upton Park.
It had been shaping up as another poor day for English goalkeepers when Green misjudged a free-kick 66 minutes in and Michael Dawson headed over him for Tottenham’s equaliser. Carlton Cole had earlier given the home side the lead, capitalising on a blunder by Younes Kaboul.
But Spurs thought they would be able to take all three points deep into injury time when former West Ham striker Defoe was brought down by Lucas Neill. His spot kick was well placed, but weakly hit, and Green dived to low to his left to push it on to the post.
In a game of often expansive attacking play from both sides, Tottenham began brightly and had a goal ruled out for offside as early as the fourth minute. Green could only parry a shot from Jermaine Jenas into the path of Aaron Lennon. The England winger tucked the ball away from eight yards out but was immediately flagged offside, and just minutes later Tottenham had a penalty appeal rejected when Dimitar Berbatov appeared to be tripped inside the penalty area.
In the 12th minute West Ham striker Carlton Cole found himself in the book for leading with his arm when challenging Gareth Bale. Three minutes later West Ham defender George McCartney almost scored an own goal when he connected with a free-kick from Jenas but, much to his relief, the ball went inches wide.
West Ham took the lead in the 19th minute then they took full advantage of some calamitous play from Kaboul. His attempted pass the ball upfield but ricocheted off Luis Boa Morte, who burst into the penalty area before finding Nolberto Solano with a clever reverse pass. Solano shaped to shoot from an acute angle but instead cleverly laid the ball across the six-yard-box allowing the unmarked Cole to place into an empty net.
In the 23rd minute Hayden Mullens tested goalkeeper Paul Robinson with an 18-yard drive which the England stopper had to collect at the second attempt. And West Ham were prevented from increasing their advantage in the 26th minute when Robinson pulled off a point-blank save to deny Boa Morte.
Moments later Berbatov should have done better for Spurs when a cross from Bale was misjudged by Mullins, but the Bulgarian failed to the hit the target from the edge of the six-yard-box.
Referee Mike Riley was at the centre of controversy five minutes before the break when he refused to award Spurs a penalty. Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora had found the unmarked Robbie Keane with a delightful through ball and the Irishman only had Green to beat in order to level the scores.
The Spurs striker chipped the ball over the head of the West Ham goalkeeper who then appeared to trip him. The ball flashed wide of the post and Riley waved away furious appeals for a penalty from Keane and a host of other Tottenham players.
In the 62nd minute West Ham replaced Mark Noble with Scott Parker - making his first appearance since September after injury - but Spurs hauled themselves level in the 66th minute when defender Dawson headed Jenas’s free-kick off the underside of the crossbar. Moments later Spurs replaced Keane with former West Ham favourite Defoe to the expected howls of abuse from the home fans incensed both by his defection from the club and his failure with England.
West Ham continued to be dangerous on the counter-attack and Cole sent a 20-yard drive flashing inches wide of the target in the 79th minute while Parker forced Robinson into a stunning save moments later. Jenas then had to clear a header from McCartney off the line in the final minute. After that, there was only time for Defoe’s miss.
