Football
Ben Pearce, Tottenham correspondent 7y

Harry Kane 9/10, Serge Aurier sent off as Spurs hold off West Ham charge

A tough London derby turned into a stroll and then back again as Tottenham secured a 3-2 victory away against West Ham in Saturday's early kick-off.

The home side caused problems in the opening half an hour, but Spurs struck twice in quick succession through Harry Kane before half-time, and Christian Eriksen made it 3-0 on the hour-mark.

Serge Aurier was then sent off in between two Hammers goals as Slaven Bilic's side made a fight of it and gave their visitors an uncomfortable finale. But ultimately Mauricio Pochettino's team held on.

Positives

Tottenham have now won all three of their away games in the Premier League while scoring eight goals, lessening the impact of their failure to get a top-flight victory at Wembley so far this term.

Kane, Dele Alli and Eriksen continue to produce the goods when they are given space, while new defender Davinson Sanchez has come through another test after encountering Andy Carroll.

Negatives

This should have been a much more comfortable victory, and summer recruit Aurier deserves a big share of the blame after getting stupidly sent off when Spurs were still comfortably 3-1 up.

Pochettino will also be disappointed to have conceded two goals, given his side's usual defensive resilience. Tottenham would have known what to expect from the way West Ham set up, but still conceded from two headers.

Manager rating out of 10

8 -- A number of fans would have been concerned by Pochettino's decision to leave Mousa Dembele out of his squad and pick Moussa Sissoko in his starting lineup, but both calls paid off. The only question is whether the Argentine could have done more to shut up shop and guard against West Ham's second goal after Aurier had been sent off.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Hugo Lloris, 7 -- Had no chance with the close-range goals and came off his line to clear some dangerous balls in behind his defenders in the first half.

DF Toby Alderweireld, 6 -- Had a couple of uncomfortable moments in the first half when Marko Arnautovic ran at him, and the Hammers' aerial approach began to bear fruit in the final 25 minutes.

DF Davinson Sanchez, 7 -- Showed his pace in the first half and his strength in the second, generally dealing well with Carroll. But he could have been penalised for seemingly pushing the Hammers forward from a corner in the final minutes.

DF Jan Vertonghen, 8 -- Turned defence into a goal in the first half, dispossessing Carroll, carrying the ball forward and playing Alli in for a chance that resulted in Kane's second.

DF Serge Aurier, 4 -- The Ivorian was having an impressive game and using his pace to good effect at both ends of the pitch before his brainless dismissal, which boosted the Hammers' attempts to battle back.

DF Ben Davies, 6 -- Struggled to find space on the left side and, when Alli tried to find him with a ball over the top, he lacked the pace to get past Pablo Zabaleta.

MF Eric Dier, 6 -- Fought gamely in the middle of the pitch. He could have created a chance for Kane in the second half but, having carried the ball forward, delayed his pass and thus his teammate was flagged offside.

MF Moussa Sissoko, 7 -- The Frenchman's physicality suited this derby duel and he worked hard. Showed better ball control than in previous outings, contributed in attacking situations and provided incisive passes to Aurier and Alli.

MF Christian Eriksen, 9 -- Had a hand in all three goals, freeing Alli (who delivered the cross) for the first, sending Vertonghen away down the left side for the second and scoring the third himself with a low first-time finish.

MF Dele Alli, 8 -- Beaten to a near-post header when West Ham pulled their first goal back, he nonetheless set up both of Kane's strikes, sending in a cross from the right side and then having a shot saved by Joe Hart, with the rebound falling to his teammate.

FW Harry Kane, 9 -- Snapped up the fairly routine goals when they were offered and nearly completed his hat trick, hitting the post with a free kick and drawing a save from Hart at his near post. That is now six goals in four matches.

Substitutes

MF Harry Winks, NR -- Came on with 17 minutes to go, replacing Eriksen, but was unable to prevent Arthur Masuaku from delivering the cross for West Ham's second goal.

DF Kieran Trippier, NR -- Replaced Sissoko in the 78th minute to give Spurs fresh legs and a more natural right-back after Aurier's dismissal.

FW Fernando Llorente, NR -- Came on in place of Kane for the final minutes. He perhaps should have gone to the corner instead of trying to create chances for Alli and Davies, but he also sparked a scuffle in injury time that stopped West Ham building pressure.

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