Football: West Ham sink Spurs in feisty London derby; Leicester punish Brentford to seal 2-1 victory

LONDON (REUTERS) – West Ham United handed Tottenham Hotspur their fourth defeat in a Premier League London derby this season as Michail Antonio scored a second-half goal to earn his side a 1-0 win on Sunday (Oct 24).

West Ham moved provisionally up to fourth with 17 points while Spurs – who also lost to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal – fell to sixth as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side failed to test the home side’s goal in the second half.

Antonio had been troubling Spurs’ defence throughout the game and he was rewarded for his hard work when he scored from a corner in the 72nd minute after getting the better of his marker Harry Kane.

As Aaron Cresswell’s pinpoint cross floated into the six-yard box, Antonio shrugged off Kane and stuck his foot out to score his sixth league goal of the season.

“The ball came my way and obviously being the poacher I am, I stick my foot out. I was surprised it went in because I kind of got my foot there to get in front of him,” Antonio told Sky Sports after his sixth goal against Spurs.

“(Whether) it’s this stadium or their stadium, I just like scoring against them… I have the number nine shirt and that’s what I need to do.” Both teams had plenty of chances in the first half, with West Ham dominating but failing to convert their opportunities.

Spurs’ best shots on goal were hit straight at goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who tipped a bullet header from Kane over the bar.

Tempers flared in the second half and the players had to be separated following a heavy challenge from Cristian Romero on Pablo Fornals, with the Argentine defender going in the book for sparking a melee when he confronted the Spaniard on the floor.

Spurs failed to create opportunities of note in the second half and Nuno said defeat was tough to take, although he thought Tottenham were the better team.

“We’re disappointed like everyone, like our fans. It’s always tough to lose a match like this,” Nuno said.

Meanwhile Leicester City secured a 2-1 win at Brentford in a pulsating game on Sunday thanks to goals from Youri Tielemans and James Maddison.

Brentford were kept at bay by a combination of poor finishing and a string of saves by Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel before being caught out on the counter-attack for Maddison’s 73rd-minute winner.

Defender Mathias Jorgensen flicked a header past Schmeichel at the hour mark to cancel out Tielemans’ unstoppable first-half strike from 25 yards, but Maddison restored Leicester’s advantage by tapping the ball into an empty net.

The result lifted Leicester up to ninth in the standings with 14 points, while Brentford dropped to 12th on 12 points from nine games.

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