Article #16809

Compliments mean little to West Ham at this stage of the season. They need points more than a patronising pat on the head for playing quite well in a 3-0 defeat. Positives? West Ham hit the woodwork three times, created a host of chances and contributed to an entertaining game. Negatives? Well, all of that would have been fine if they were coasting in mid-table, but given West Ham’s perilous position the overriding sense was this was a costly afternoon for Nuno Espírito Santo’s strugglers in their battle to stay up.

The frustration for West Ham lay in blowing an opportunity to make 18th-placed Tottenham squirm before facing Aston Villa on Sunday evening. The gap remains at two points when it could have been five, making it feel as though momentum is about to change hands.