Tottenham produced a ruthless second-half display to cruise past 10-man West Ham with a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium.
Goals from Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and Micky van de Ven sealed the points for Spurs, who overwhelmed their rivals after the break and a red card for the hosts.
The first half was a cagey affair, with both sides struggling to create clear openings. Paqueta spurned the hosts’ best chance, dragging wide from close range, while Cristian Romero had a header ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
Just two minutes after the break, Spurs found their breakthrough. On his Premier League debut, Xavi Simons swung in a corner that picked out Pape Sarr, who rose unmarked to power a header into the roof of the net.
West Ham nearly hit back through Jarrod Bowen, but Guglielmo Vicario produced a smart save to calm the visitors’ nerves.
The game turned in the 54th minute when Tomas Soucek was shown a straight red card for a dangerous studs-up challenge on Joao Palhinha.
Spurs wasted no time exploiting their advantage. Within three minutes, Romero launched a perfect long pass over the top, and Bergvall guided a looping header beyond Mads Hermansen to make it 2-0.
The pressure mounted, and by the 64th minute Tottenham had their third. Bergvall drove into the box before slipping the ball left to Van de Ven, who rifled a strike into the bottom corner.
With their team three goals down and a man short, home supporters began streaming out of the stadium.
Graham Potter’s side had brief flurries of attacking intent, with Kudus and Johnson forcing saves from Hermansen, but they were second-best for much of the contest.
The win underlines Tottenham’s progress under Thomas Frank, with new arrival Simons and young wonderkid Bergvall both starring.
For West Ham, Soucek’s dismissal summed up a night where discipline and composure deserted them.
