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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has said he would like to have a “joystick” for his players like in a video game after they were owned by West Ham.
The Spurs manager was frustrated that his side missed the chance to finish in the Premier League’s top four with the draw in a rain-soaked London stadium.
A touch from Brennan Johnson gave them the lead after a few minutes, but the Hammers equalised when Kurt Zouma headed in from a corner.
Both worked hard, but lacked foresight in sharing the spoils.
Despite having 68 consistent shots with a penny of possession, Spurs controlled four shots on target, adding the early play of Johnson and Destiny Udogie, who flew straight to the home goalkeeper along with Lukasz Fabianski in second-half stoppage time.
They never looked more likely to achieve the two-goal margin of victory they needed to leapfrog fourth-placed Aston Villa, who face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Postecoglou’s side remain fifth, two adrift of Villa, and the Australian said his side rarely lacked “clarity of thought” in attack.
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When asked why they lacked clarity, Postecoglou replied: “Because they’re human beings, dude, it’s just football.
“I’d like to have a joystick and put them wherever I want, but it doesn’t work like that. My role is to try to get them through this.
“Sometimes we have more time than we think. We scored a great goal, but there are times when the ball goes away when we were in those areas. These are things we want to work on. “
Tottenham were leading when Johnson, brought in as one of three changes to Spurs’ starting line-up since Saturday’s win over Luton, slipped away from a close diversity after Timo Werner had space to get the left side of the West Ham defence to shoot. .
But West Ham responded well, and their corner-turning tactic to put Spurs goalkeeper Gigi Vicario under pressure worked when Jarrod Bowen’s free-kick in the 19th minute headed from five yards through Zouma.
The Hammers came closest to scoring a winning goal after the break, but Michail Antonio fired straight past Vicario after the Jamaican foreigner beat Micky van de Ven in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
West Ham remain seventh, as Newcastle and Wolves failed to win and topple David Moyes in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
Relive West Ham vs Spurs and the rest of the Premier League on Tuesday night
With the promise of a fourth-place finish, Spurs got out of the traps faster than in recent games.
His fifth-minute debut came after his last 12 league goals were scored in the half, a streak that dates back to Feb. 3.
But an old weakness resurfaced when they conceded a goal to Vicario, who had twice struck unconvincingly on past set-pieces.
The Italian took great inspiration after his departure from Empoli last summer and made more saves here: he flew to his left to save a James Ward-Prowse free-kick with two hands in the first half and then denied Antonio twice after the break.
But corners remain a weakness he and the Spurs want to address.
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Moyes reportedly looked for a reaction from West Ham after the 4-3 defeat at Newcastle, having held a two-goal lead with 15 minutes remaining. Despite conceding the first goal, his team kept their promises.
“I really thought we didn’t deserve to be followed,” Moyes told TNT Sports. “But the players did a smart job.
“We were threatened and so were they. They’re a smart team and that’s why they’re fighting for the Champions League. Maybe a draw is the right end result.
“I’m sure after the way we played this weekend and the way the defense played [here], we looked a lot more organized. We had set-pieces, we had chances, so overall that will give us some intelligence. “trust. “
Things looked positive as Mohammed Kudus pressed high to collect the ball near the Spurs box, before crossing from the left for Bowen to shoot wide from one position.
Seconds later, the Hammers faded defensively and Spurs took the lead, exemplifying the fragilities that have frustrated fans throughout this campaign.
Moyes’ side have already conceded 55 league goals this season, the same as in the 2022-23 season total, and are the blank sheet in 11 games.
But there’s obviously fire in this West Ham team, sparked when the inspirational Bowen raised a mocking fist in defiance of the visiting enthusiasts after executing the set-piece regime for Zouma’s equaliser.
The hosts created chances, but failed to find the winner.