Tottenham Hotspur made it three wins from four under Thomas Frank with a 3-0 victory over West Ham United on Saturday night
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Tottenham Hotspur hit back from their 1-0 loss to Bournemouth before the international break with a dominant 3-0 win against London rivals West Ham United on Saturday night.
Spurs pushed for a first-half goal but could not find a way past the Hammers’ rear-guard. It took only two second-half minutes for Thomas Frank’s side to hit the front as Xavi Simons found Pape Matar Sarr to finish.
West Ham were reduced to 10 men soon after as Tomas Soucek saw straight red for a challenge on Joao Palhinha. Lucas Bergvall headed in a brilliant looping header soon after and the young Swede then provided the assist for Micky van de Ven to fire into the bottom corner and wrap the game up.
It is a result that keeps Spurs in the top four after four games, with Frank’s side below North London rivals Arsenal on goal difference. The two sides have a similar record, having won three of their four games. The only fixture Spurs have conceded in is the 1-0 defeat to the Cherries - whose only loss has been against Liverpool, which came on the opening weekend of the campaign.
Lucas Bergvall shines for Tottenham at London Stadium
While the misery piled on West Ham on Saturday night, with several fans walking out of the game early, it was another fixture that marked Tottenham’s swift improvement under Thomas Frank.
Bergvall stood out with his goal and assist but produced a stunning all-around display. He only had one effort on goal which he scored while 23 of his 25 passes found a teammate. He had 100 per cent long ball accuracy and did the defensive work too, as he made two tackles and three ball recoveries while winning three of six ground duels.
The Evening Standard rated his performance as 9/10, as they wrote: “Justified Frank’s decision [to start him] with a strong display as the most advanced midfielder. Confident in possession, dogged off the ball, and a sensational looped header gave him a deserved goal.”
Lucas Bergvall is the transfer bargain nobody is talking about
Tottenham signed Bergvall for a fee approaching £8.5m from Swedish side Djurgarden back in February 2024. He officially joined Spurs last summer and in his first season for the club he made 45 appearances, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
He is only 19 but is starting to show wisdom beyond his years and having a manager like Frank will only aid his development. In an era of profit and sustainability, finding good players at a bargain price when they are young is more important than ever.
Spurs appear to have struck gold with Bergvall, as two managers have now trusted him to play regularly for the club’s senior side before he has even turned 20. He was linked with Barcelona before joining Tottenham and it is easy to see why. And for £8.5m, that transfer could soon look one of the best bargains in recent Premier League transfer windows.
Speaking after the game, Frank said of Bergvall: “First and foremost I think his performance was good today. I really like his energy, his pressing skill, his enthusiasm. I think he drags the team with him, in a kind of way.
“And there's so much he can learn and improve. So I think that's promising as well. Fantastic goal. Well-timed run. Top ball from [Cristian] Romero. And a well-executed header.”