West Ham vs Tottenham: Five things we learned from Jose Mourinho’s first game in charge
Immediate impact from Mourinho to earn an overdue away win
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Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho's debut as Tottenham Hotspur manager could hardly have gone any better, as his side clocked up a 3-2 win over West Ham United.
Goals from Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Harry Kane gave Spurs a three-goal lead at the London Stadium, piling the pressure on Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini, before Michail Antonio scored one and Angelo Ogbonna hit another in injury time.
The result lift Spurs an improbable amount in the Premier League, ahead of the rest of the weekend games at least, moving from 14th to sixth.
It was a largely positive start to Mourinho's tenure, but questions will continue for his West Ham counterpart.
Early Jose picks offer promise
Mourinho opted for three changes to the starting lineup, making a couple of tweaks to suit his style and bringing in one or two players who have been waiting for a chance of late.
Eric Dier moved back into midfield, allowing Davinson Sanchez to start at centre-back. Lucas Moura and Harry Winks also returned, giving Spurs clear lines in a 4-2-3-1.
More tellingly, there was a greater work rate and defensive organisation on show, with Spurs getting huge numbers back defensively as soon as possession was lost.
From conceding an average of almost 15 shots per game this season, and just under 20 per game away from home, Spurs allowed West Ham only 11 attempts during this 90 minutes.
Early positives for Mourinho, and a platform to build on - though conceding the late goals clearly irked him and serves as a reminder that there is work to do.
First away league win since February
An away win from Tottenham: almost a forgetting result in recent times.
Since 20 January, Spurs had won a measly three points away from home - a massive 10 months ago - with one of those coming against Man City and another in the north London derby.
Naturally, that means it was also Tottenham's first away win this season, which all but two other clubs in the Premier League had already managed to achieve.
This sets a big platform for the feelgood factor to return, with eminently winnable home games coming up against Bournemouth and Burnley.
Add in the chance to reach the Champions League last 16 with a home win over Olympiacos, and Mourinho's impact could easily be seen as a massively positive, and fast, one within weeks.
Pellegrini problems mounting up
It might have been a fine start for Mourinho, but his opposite number in the dugout doesn't have quite as optimistic an outlook right now.
After this defeat it's eight without a win in all competitions for West Ham, while the only team Pellegrini's side have beaten since August is Man United.
There were few clear suggestions here that improvements were found during the international break, either.
Roberto has been horrendous in goal all season and had another hapless outing here, being ironically cheered by his own fans at times after making simple saves, while there were instances of poor possession, misreading high balls forward and a lack of communication throughout the defence.
West Ham won't allow this poor run to continue for long. If only there was another big-name , Premier League-proven manager available on the market for them to dream about...
Michail Antonio leads the way back
If there was a spark of positivity for West Ham after the break, it was Michail Antonio's performance.
Back after three months out injured, Antonio was playing for just the fourth time this season in the league and his drive and determination were frequently applauded by the home support.
Several times he led counter-attacks through the centre, won the ball back with good industry and then, finally, showed some quality in the penalty box to give West Ham a route into the game.
His fierce, low drive sparked a revival of sorts from the Hammers and he was their stand-out player by a mile, despite only coming on at half-time
Big beneficiaries: Dele and Son
Finally, there were two clear winners for Tottenham from the first Mourinho set-up: Dele Alli, in the first half particularly, and goalscorer Son.
Playing noticeably higher upfield when Spurs were on the ball, Alli was quick to get alongside and even beyond Harry Kane at times, giving a greater Spurs presence in the area.
At other times, he was able to find space between the lines with regularity, picking out a number of passes and creating chances for his team-mates - including the opening goal.
That was scored by Son, who then set up the second goal after more good play by team-mate Alli.
Son had the freedom of the left flank at times, with Ben Davies a very much withdrawn full-back throughout, and he made great use of it with his dribbling, change of direction and willingness to get into the box.
All in all, a very positive first outing for Spurs under their new boss.
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