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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 31
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
London Stadium
London, England
Tuesday, 2 April 2024
Kick-off is at 20h15
Tottenham will be looking to build on their third win in four games when they lock horns with West Ham in a local derby at the London Stadium on Tuesday, April 2.
Spurs recovered from an early goal down to beat Luton 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 30 as they bounced back from the disappointing 3-0 defeat to Fulham.
Ange Postecoglou's side remain three points behind Aston Villa (4th) with a game in hand as the two clubs battle it out for the final UEFA Champions League berth.
The Villans picked up their first win in three outings with a 2-0 triumph over Wolves at Villa Park on March 30 to close within five points of Manchester City (3rd).
Manchester United (6th) fell further off the pace after playing out to a 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on March 30 which left them eight points behind the Lilywhites.
The Hammers (7th) missed out on the chance to put pressure on the Red Devils as they slumped to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of 10-man Newcastle at St James' Park on March 30 to extend their winless run to three games.
David Moyes' side trail United by four points and are just one ahead of the Magpies, who moved up to eighth in the standings courtesy of their second win in three matches.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
In team news, Alphonse Areola (groin) remains unavailable to Moyes, while Edson Alvarez is serving a two-match suspension for the accumulation of 10 yellow cards. Nayef Aguerd is rated doubtful. Postecoglou continues to be without Ryan Sessegnon (thigh), Fraser Forster (ankle) and Manor Solomon (knee).
Moyes admitted his decision to bring on Kalvin Phillips in the second half backfired after the midfielder conceded a penalty for a foul on Anthony Gordon just seven minutes after his introduction from the bench.
"The [second] penalty-kick is a huge turning point, but I also thought we made a change because we felt as if they had got on top and missed a couple of chances," the Scot said.
"We tried to give ourselves another midfield player at 3-1 up and we didn't want to wait for it to get to 3-2. Probably that decision didn't work on the day, but more importantly I think the boy puts his foot in front of Kalvin and I don't know how he's supposed to see his leg.
"The penalty-kick makes it 3-2 and we had been doing OK. We gave up a couple of chances before that which I didn't like and they had started to get some control shooting down the hill, but we had another day when very few things went for us."
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Postecoglou reserved special praise for Brennan Johnson, who was introduced for Dejan Kulusevski at the start of the second half against the Hatters and made quite the impact after setting up Son Heung-Min for the winner in the 86th minute.
"I thought Brennan was excellent. We felt at half-time, bringing him on, with him and Timo [Werner] really wide, we could stretch them, and I thought both wingers were outstanding in the second half," Postecoglou told SPURS PLAY.
"It was great for Brennan. He's made quite a few impacts now off the bench, and it's another chance for him to maintain that consistency. We know what a good player he can be and to try to make an impact whenever he plays."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
West Ham wins - 2
Tottenham wins - 2
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 31 fixtures:
Tuesday, April 2
19h30: Nottingham Forest v Fulham
19h30: Newcastle United v Everton
19h45: Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
19h45: Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers
20h15: West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday, April 3
19h30: Arsenal v Luton Town
19h30: Brentford v Brighton & Hove Albion
20h15: Manchester City v Aston Villa
Thursday, April 4
19h30: Liverpool v Sheffield United
20h15: Chelsea v Manchester United
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