Bitter blow as Irons get caught late again

Spurs 2 Irons 2

Alex Song’s last minute challenge on Harry Kane gave Spurs a penalty and an equaliser they didn’t deserve after the Hammers had led by two goals.

Cheik Kouyate headed home a superb 21st minute goal  and Diafra Sakho put them further ahead with a fabulous close range strike before the north Londoners dragged themselves back with two fortunate strikes.

First Rose drove his shot into the ground from  distance and with Adrian mistiming his jump saw the ball fly past him for the arrears to be reduced.

Then came the  Song challenge on Kane and after Adrian had saved the penalty the striker followed up to strike home the leveller with the last kick of the game.

The Cameroonian had bundled into Kane’s back when he would have been better off allowing him to continue running away from goal.

It’s arguable whether there was enough contact but it’s a pointless discussion – two points had gone down the swanee.

So once again the Irons had failed to see out a game that they had bossed from the 15th minute onwards but it’s hard to find fault after a game which saw them at their best.  However, these late equalisers are becoming too regular  and the count is now one league win in eight!

Sam Allardyce argued after the game that West Ham could almost take a leaf out of the Spurs book and go down themselves in similar situations to Kane’s thus forcing referees to make a decision.

He commented: “We don’t do it enough but Spurs can consider themselves very luck with both goals. it was desperately disappointing”

Spurs had started in the ascendancy and Adrian was forced into a fine save from Bentaleb when he flew to his left to palm a rocket shot around the post.

And in the tenth minute Kane charged onto a ball from the back but after some lazy defending by Reid and Tomkins but saw his flicked effort hit the post.

The Hammers found their feet after the two early scares and on 17 minutes Cresswell fired in a long range shot which flew wide.

But four minutes later the left back was instrumental in setting up the lead with a great run and  cross which Kouyate thudded into the back of the net with a great header.

Rose was close for Spurs at the other end when he dived forward to peroduce a brav e header from Kane’s chip forward but the ball beat the bar.

As play switched to the other end Creswell’s fine cross was met bny Valencia but Lloris advanced bravely to block.

Kane was again at the heart of things though producing a neat ball for Mason but his shot was driven wide of an upright.

Noble held his head in frustration minutes later when he tried his luck with a fierce goal bound shot which which thudded into a defender and flew behind.

The Hammers were a better team throughout the second period and could have gone two up early in the second half when Sakho tried his luck with Valencia much better positioned to take advantage.

But when the Senegalese hitman fired home from a right angle from Noble’s far post free kick in the 61st minute, it looked all over.

Valencia then saw Lloris save well before Noble and the striker made early departures to be replaced by Carlton Cole and Matt Jarvis.

The hosts piled on the pressure before the goals but at the end of 90 minutes there wouldn’t have been many who would argue that the Irons were desperately unlucky not to take all three points.