Tottenham vs West Ham LIVE: Premier League result and final score after Son and Kane combine to seal win
Tottenham 3-1 West Ham: Son Heung-min and Harry Kane continued their sublime partnership as Spurs claimed a big three points in what was a crucial match in the race for next season’s Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur boosted their Champions League qualification hopes thanks to a 3-1 win over top-four rivals West Ham United in the Premier League.
A Kurt Zouma own goal gave Spurs the lead after nine minutes and the hosts doubled their lead when Son Heung-min combined with Harry Kane midway through the first half.
West Ham pulled one back through Said Benrahma but could not find the energy to produce a comeback following Thursday’s extra-time win over Sevilla in the Europa League.
And the win was sealed as Son raced clear to score his second and move Spurs ahead of Manchester United into fifth, three points behind Arsenal.
The result also means Spurs have won back-to-back games in the Premier League for the first time since December as Antonio Conte’s side backed up Wednesday’s win at Brighton.
Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in a curious Clasico missing key ingredients
It’s always a fixture which captures the attention of the world of football and this weekend will probably be no different in that respect, but in many others it will be.
This is still El Clasico, but not quite as we know it. La Liga’s big two go head to head at the Santiago Bernabeu with a rivalry which has stretched back so many notable matches, trophies and groups of players as to be ingrained in most football fans’ memories in one way or another. But there are so many elements of that famously hard-fought encounter missing this time around that it could well seem and feel like a different game.
That isn’t to be altogether negative about the situation either, only realistic - there’s every chance that the missing ingredients simply make this more of a football event, where talent and slightly longer-term objectives take precedence over bragging rights...although probably not for both sections of fans, of course.
Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in a curious Clasico missing key ingredients
The two giants of Spanish football clash on Sunday night but there’s not quite as much direct competition between them - which could actually turn out to be a positive
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Karim Benzema misses the game with a calf injury. He’ll be greatly missed by Real Madrid as the Frenchman has netted 22 times in the domestic championship plus ten goals in other competitions this yead, and he also leads La Liga for assists with 11.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Barcelona coach, Xavi, says he has a gameplan to deal with ‘chameleonic’ Real Madrid. Speaking to the press yesterday he said:
Madrid are chameleonic. You don’t know if they’ll push forward or keep it tight as a unit. It’s hard to know what to expect. We just have to try to keep the ball and impose our ideas but we’ll need to be prepared for anything.”
"We competed against them in the Super Cup and could have won. Since losing to Bayern [Munich] we have been getting better and more competitive with every game … I won’t make big changes for this game … I’m very clear about my plan, you’ll see tomorrow. But we have hardly had any time to train since Thursday.”
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Barcelona have not lost any of their last 10 away La Liga games (five wins and five draws) with nine of those games coming up manager Xavi Hernandez (five wins, four draws).
Xavi could become only the second Barcelona coach to be unbeaten in his first 10 away games in La Liga after Ernesto Valverde who did not lose any of his first 18 (12 wins, six draws).
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Barcelona have more wins (10-8) and have scored more goals (41-34) than Real Madrid in LaLiga El Clasico matches played in Madrid in the 21st century.
However, Barcelona have lost their last two visits and could suffer three defeats in a row for the first time this century.
Karim Benzema a Real Madrid injury doubt ahead of El Clasico
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is out of Sunday’s ‘El Clasico’ against Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu after LaLiga’s top scorer suffered a calf injury.
The France striker was injured after grabbing an assist and two late goals as LaLiga leaders Real Madrid defeated Mallorca 3-0 on Monday.
Real will host bitter rivals Barca with the opportunity to strengthen their hold on the title race and further boost their morale after their epic come-from-behind last-16 Champions League win over Paris St Germain last week.
Karim Benzema a Real Madrid injury doubt ahead of El Clasico
The French striker has been in red-hot form for Los Blancos but could miss the big weekend fixture in Spain
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, spoke about the significance of El Clasico and what it takes to win Europe’s most important derby. He said:
It’s all about commitment, discipline and quality. It’s a very demanding game. It’s El Clásico, a special game and we’ll have to be at our best. The team’s in good shape, we’ve worked hard and are feeling confident.
"It’s a game where we want to be at our best. We’re going to have to produce a strong all-round performance because we’re up against a very strong side.
“We can’t go thinking that doing just one thing well will be enough to win the game. We’ll have to defend well, press well, be good on the ball, play out well from the back and be direct... it’ll need to be an all-round performance”.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Real Madrid have won their last five games with Barcelona in all competitions. Only Los Blancos, with seven wins between April 1962 and February 1965, have achieved a better run in the history of El Clasico.
No side in Europe’s big five leagues have suffered fewer defeats than Real Madrid since the start of last season (6, level with Inter Milan).
Son Heung-min bags a brace as Tottenham close in on top four with West Ham win
Son Heung-min’s double saw Tottenham register a huge win in the race for Champions League qualification as they beat West Ham 3-1.
The South Korean scored twice, having also been involved in Kurt Zouma’s own goal, as Spurs made it four Premier League victories from five to close the gap on fourth-placed Arsenal.
They are now three points behind the Gunners, who have a game in hand but still have to visit their north London rivals in a clash that is yet to be rescheduled.
Son Heung-min bags a brace as Tottenham close in on top four with West Ham win
Spurs are now three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, while West Ham are six points behind the Gunners.
Son reacts to Tottenham’s win
Back to the Tottenham Hotspurs stadium where Spurs matchwinner, Son Heung-min, has been elaborating on his relationship with Harry Kane, telling Sky Sports:
Before the international break it is always good to win the game and go away with a free mind. Hopefully we are ready to go again when we come back.
“I just make the runs as an option for [Harry] Kane. If he doesn’t pass me the ball he might have the space to pass to someone else or to shoot.
“It’s incredible to have this striker next to me. I feel really sorry for him today that he didn’t score. He looked sad. I feel sad for him as a striker, you want to score everything.”
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