West Ham were unable to produce an encore of their stunning win from 12 months ago as they exited the League Cup following a 3-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Lilywhites coach Mauricio Pochettino made ten changes from the side that had lost to Man City on Monday. His opposite number Pellegrini couldn’t make as many, owing to injuries and suspensions, but the Chilean did his best to cobble together a side that had a chance against a second string Spurs outfit while also giving some key players a bit of a break- with the likes of Fabianski, Balbuena and Zabaleta rested.

Unfortunately for Pellegrini, defensive errors let his side down. All three goals scored by Spurs could be chalked down to individual errors, with Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku culpable. The latter has already attracted the ire of fans for some shoddy defending- the way he let Glenn Murray score for Brighton is one example, and the way he allowed Son to score Tottenham’s second will only add to their frustration and anger. Spurs had been unbeaten this decade under the ref for this game, and their record continued with this victory at the London Stadium. [Read more…]