West Ham v Spurs live!

29 July 2009 10:17
The full-time whistle puts West Ham out of their misery. It has been a disappointing display by Zola's men and an impressive Spurs could have won far more convincingly had their finishing been better. 90 Livermore embarks on a skilful dribble towards the West Ham box before shooting just wide. 89 Defoe is too quick for Upson but his low shot from the edge of the area is well held by a diving Green. 87 Keane comes agonisingly close to making it 2-0 as Lennon delivers a low cross and he just fails to make contact with the goal at his mercy. 85 Time is running out for West Ham to draw level but at the moment they look too tired to mount one last push. 83 Livermore enters the fray as Redknapp withdraws Palacios from central midfield. 82 Cole pokes a half-volley over the bar from close range as West Ham look to snatch an equaliser. 81 Zola makes a double change as Spector and Hines come on for the closing stages and Jimenez and Collison leave the field. 79 West Ham are being made to chase shadows at the moment as confidence oozes through Tottenham. 77 Spurs have continued to push forward since going in front and will fancy their chances of scoring a second. 75 GOAL Spurs finally make the breakthrough as Defoe's low shot squirms through Green's grasp and trickles over the line. 74 The Hammers make a rare forway forward and Cudicini saves well from Collison. 72 Green makes a good stop to deny Modric. The Croatian was tugged back as he ran onto Keane's excellent pass and if he had gone down the referee would probably have given a penalty. 70 Redknapp brings on Lennon for Naughton as we enter the final 20 minutes. 69 The good news for Spurs is that they have looked very fluent in possession and created several good opportunities. They will expect to be sharper in front of goal by the time they face Liverpool in their Premier League opener. 67 Defoe makes a mess of another good chance after being released by Modric. He tries to square it to Keane but Upson makes the block. 66 Stanislas makes way for Savio as Zola makes another change. 64 Thom has been in touch to ask about Naughton's performance. He was very bright in the first half but has faded since the interval. 62 It has started to rain heavily in Beijing as Modric sprints in from the left and delivers a low cross that is well intercepted. 61 Ilunga and Jimenez combine well down the left as West Ham look to relieve the pressure. 59 Defoe accelerates past Collins with ease but the finish is lacking again as he fails to hit the target. 57 Jimenez sparks into life for the first time as he picks up possession inside the area and drives a shot over the bar from an acute angle. 56 Yellow cards are not too common in pre-season games but O'Hara and Noble are both booked following a clash in midfield, with the West Ham man reacting angrily after having his ankles clipped. 54 West Ham are not able to string more than two or three passes together at the moment. Zola has apparently been working them very hard in training but on this evidence there is still a lot to do. 52 Spurs appear even more dominant in the early stages of this half. Surely they will break the deadlock soon. 51 Keane plays in Defoe with a classy chip but the England man mistimes his volley and sends it over. 50 Just a reminder that if we are still level at 90 minutes we will go straight to penalties. 49 Spurs won't win a lot of games with shooting like this, as Palacios tries an ambitious lob from about 40 yards and Green deals with it comfortably. 48 Tottenham have picked up where they left off in the first half and appear firmly in control. 47 Keane and Defoe may be competing for places now that Crouch has arrived but I don't think that was necessary, as Defoe's powerful effort is blocked by the Irishman. I should add that it was entirely accidental. 46 West Ham get the second half started and there has been one change apiece. Parker has replaced Dyer, while Keane is on for Pavlyuchenko. Colin fears Spurs will get caught napping and slip to an 'undeserved defeat', but Callum from London thinks they will eventually be rewarded for applying so much pressure. Spurs may have looked more dangerous but will they go on to win the match? Remember to get in touch at Lewis.Rutledge@bskyb.com. Defoe shoots high into the stands and the whistle goes for half-time. The score remains goalless but it has not been a bad game, with Spurs looking the shaper side. 44 West Ham are enjoying a better spell towards the end of the first half and Spurs may be regretting their missed chances. 43 Modric cuts in from the left and again curls an effort just wide of the far post. 42 Dyer shows a good turn of pace down the right wing but Assou-Ekotto is equal to the task. 40 The corner is harmless and Cudicini makes the catch under absolutely no pressure. 39 Stanislas threatens with a surging run down the right but Corluka tackles well and concedes the corner. 38 The word on Boa Morte is that he has gone to hospital for treatment on his knee, amid fears of cruciate ligament damage. 36 Modric has had a quiet game so far but he shows a touch of class with a neat one-two with Defoe on the edge of the box. 34 Hutton sends over a speculative cross when there is nobody in the box. Green seems unaware of this and acrobatically tips the ball out wide. 32 Pavlyuchenko looks hungry for a goal as he smashes a shot over the bar from 20 yards. More poor defending from West Ham in the build-up to the chance. 31 Green is left rooted to the spot as O'Hara finds room on the edge of the box and curls an exquisite shot inches wide of the post. 30 There is not too much happening on the pitch at the moment. The humidity might be making life difficult for the players and the tempo is quite slow. 28 With regards to Spurs, Ian in Brighton feels Crouch is a certain starter up front and will be partnered by either Defoe and Keane. He reckons Pavlyuchenko will warm the bench for most of the season. 26 Matthew hopes Jimenez will provide some much-needed flair and creativity, while he has also urged Zola to sign a striker and a couple of defenders. 24 Another chance missed by Pavlyuchenko as his close-range shot is blocked by Collins. 23 Cole bursts pasts a couple of midfielders and fires a weak shot at Cudicini, but that is better from West Ham. 22 West Ham have started to struggle again and the likes of Dyer and Jimenez have yet to get into the game at all. 20 We have not had any updates on Boa Morte but it appears he may have twisted his knee. 18 Huddlestone has a sledgehammer of a shot and he slams a typically powerful effort just wide from distance. If that had been on target it would have been hard to stop. 16 Noble's first contribution is to surrender possession to O'Hara and the Spurs midfielder feeds Pavlyuchenko. It is an excellent chance for the Russian but he curls his effort against the post. 15 A question to West Ham supporters now. What are you hoping to see from Jimenez this season? Which areas does Zola need to strengthen further before the transfer window shuts? 14 Noble has come on to replace the injured Boa Morte. 13 Tottenham almost take the lead as Naughton drives a shot just wide from a tight angle after good work from Hutton. 12 An injury scare for West Ham as Boa Morte goes down and has to be stretchered off. Zola looks concerned on the sidelines. 10 Tottenham are still enjoying the majority of possession and Pavlyuchenko tests Green with a long-range strike that bounces just before the keeper. 9 West Ham have gained more of a foothold in the game after looking sloppy for the first few minutes. 8 Cudicini is called into action for the first time as he safely gathers a free-kick. 6 Pavlyuchenko fails to seize on some poor defending as he blazes a shot wide. I am interested to know what Tottenham fans think should be the number one strike-force this season following the arrival of Crouch. Also, who will line up in defence if the injured guys are not back for the start of the season? Should Cudicini or Gomes start in goal? 5 Stanislas shows some nimble footwork in the area as West Ham look to apply some pressure, but it has been Spurs on the front foot early on. 4 Thom is wondering what formation Spurs are playing. The early indications are that Corluka and Huddlestone will be in central defence, with Hutton at right-back and Naughton in midfield. 3 Stuart is backing Modric and Pavlyuchenko to fire Spurs to a 2-0 triumph, while Patrick in Australia is also hoping Redknapp's men will come out on top. 2 Tottenham win an early corner after a nice period of possesion. The ball comes out to Modric at the edge of the area but his shot is wayward. 1 Spurs get us underway and there is a fantastic atmosphere around the stadium. The predictions have been flooding in and there is support for both teams. Simon, Bradley and Stephen are all going for Spurs, while Craig thinks West Ham's defence will be too organised for their opponents to break down. Aron has been in touch to predict a 3-1 victory for the Hammers, with Jimenez bagging a brace. Ryan thinks Spurs will win by a big margin and go on to clinch fifth place in the Premier League. It promises to be an exciting contest with both managers naming strong sides. Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe start up front for Spurs, with Peter Crouch not signed in time to make the trip and Darren Bent also staying in England. Much of the interest in the West Ham line-up will centre on new boy Luis Jimenez, while Kieron Dyer also starts in midfield. Tottenham: Cudicini, Hutton, Huddlestone, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto, Naughton, Palacios, Modric, O'Hara, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe Subs: Gomes, Alnwick, Chimbonda, Dervite, Bale, Bostock, Bentley, Lennon, Keane, Rose. West Ham: Green, Faubert, Upson, Collins, Ilunga, Boa Morte, Dyer, Collison, Jimenez, Stanislas, Cole, Subs: Stech, Kurucz, Spence, Spector, N'Gala, Tomkins, Gabbidon, Noble, Parker, Payne, Savio, Hines.

Source: SKY_Sports