Football London

Thomas Frank was in high spirits after his Tottenham Hotspur side won 3-0 at West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday.

After a slow first half with a couple of debatable decisions from the officials, the derby ignited with a frantic 10 minutes in the early stages of the second period. Just two minutes after the restart new Spurs signing Xavi Simons' corner found Pape Matar Sarr completely unmarked at the back post to head home.

Then on 54 minutes Tomas Soucek lunged and missed the ball after a loose first touch and his studs were so high up Joao Palhinha's shin that they tore through the Portuguese's sock and the red card was brandished with little complaint.

Three minutes after that dismissal, Lucas Bergvall sent a looping header over Hermansen from Cristian Romero's pinpoint ball over the top. Spurs made it 3-0 on 64 minutes when Micky van de Ven swept home the loose ball after a Bergvall run inside the hosts' box to ensure Tottenham travelled back across the capital with three points, three goals and a clean sheet.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank after the game. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at the London Stadium.

The game started slowly but did you get everything you wanted from it in the end?

Yeah I agree. I think the first 15 to 20 minutes was even. Not too much happened. But then I think we really grew into it and the last 20 or 25, something like that. I think we dominated and created a lot of good opportunities without having too many big, big chances.

We had really a lot of dangerous situations and we know in football sometimes it's also about getting closer and closer and closer and then suddenly there's that opening where you can score. I think West Ham defended very well first half. It was difficult to get the clear-cut chances but when we got it to Xavi and Mo on the sides and played and run, produced crosses, you know, either in-swing or overlap and so on, and a lot of corners where we also were very dangerous.

So happy that the goal came second half because you never know, the momentum can change after half-time but we kept going and scored a good goal after and then 3-0 done. So a very good clear win, a good performance and I think we all know the derby and the importance of the game for the fans and I think it's a testament to the boys and the group that we haven't won here in six years.

It shows everything how difficult it is to play here and now we won 3-0 today. I think that's impressive.

What did you make of the two moments in the first half with the disallowed goal and then Micky van de Ven pulled down in the box?

I think the disallowed goal is for me clearly a goal. When I look back it's Mads Hermansen who pushed Micky into Kyle Walker-Peters and we talk about higher thresholds. For me it's a clear goal.

If you see the United goal against Fulham a few weeks ago where there were two hands in the back, it was given. I've heard afterwards it was a mistake, but no matter what, for higher thresholds this is clearly a goal that needs to stand.

I think the Micky van de Ven situation, I think it's the player that marked Micky doesn't look at the ball and he got two hands around him. So it's one of those where it could definitely have been given. I'm probably slightly biased, I would say 60-40 it should have been given, but I know those situations are not easy.

You looked to be sharing some laughs with Micky van de Ven when he came off, may I ask what it was about?

Yes, I want a goal from him from set-pieces. It was a second phase set-piece but it didn't count if it was left or right foot. I need a header.

You used your squad today with Tuesday in mind, how encouraging is it that you can use it and get a result?

I think it's extremely important. I think it's important that I trust my players. Of course they need to perform and train well and show the right attitude and all that, but they do and they train well.

So I have the privilege to, for example, rest Rodri. Of course he could have played today. But he played two 90 minutes, he landed Thursday morning. So I'm not too worried about this, but what about Tuesday? What about the next one? And they can't play 70 games, all of them, all the time. Rodri is a key player for us.

Richy is the same. He could have started but also played in 4,000m height against Bolivia and so on, and then others have done well.

Lucas, look how he came on the pitch, and how he performed as well. I think Mathys, very impressive, the performance was maybe not through the roof, but it was very solid, I would say 7/10, worked hard, pressing, constant pressing, and that's very good also. You know he's not in the Champions League squad. Very happy with the squad.

With Lucas Bergvall, do you see him as a goalscoring midfielder?

Yes. 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 Romero. And a well-executed header.

What did you make of Xavi Simons' debut?

I think he was promising. I liked what I saw from him. I liked that he took initiative on the ball. Every single time he had the ball he tried to create something. And I think he had a wonderful assist for the first goal from a corner. Worked hard as well. I think it was a good first game.

With Joao Palhinha, is he 100% sharp?

No, some players hit the ground running in a season. I think we need to - even though he's played in the Premier League before - it's still a new club, a new coach, crazy new ideas from the coach, all those things. And then he had a little disjointed pre-season because he played at the Club World Cup, without playing too many games, or barely any. So I think he will grow and be better. Happy again with his performance today. Solid. He just gives the team that structure and solidity.

A third clean sheet, how important is that?

I think it's hugely important that we are good defensively. Obviously we want to score, want to play forward, want to play offensive football, we've scored eight goals, clearly we want to score goals. But over so many, many games, that foundation, being able to get clean sheets is key. It's something we worked very hard on throughout the pre-season. The players deserve a lot of praise. All the coaches. And especially Matt Wells, that really drives that. And I have a big, big, big focus. I said that's the first aim when I walked in the building.

Ten frantic second half minutes helped Tottenham Hotspur ease past West Ham United with a 3-0 victory in the Premier League on Saturday evening and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Thomas Frank had two new signings to call upon in Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, with the Dutchman starting on the left and the Frenchman, who has not played since the beginning of July, unused among the substitutes. Mohammed Kudus made his first trip back to the London Stadium since his £55million move across the capital in the summer and his every touch was loudly booed.

With Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison the last Spurs international players to return to training, Mathys Tel and Lucas Bergvall came into the team for them alongside the new man Xavi.

Spurs had an effort ruled out 19 minutes in when Cristian Romero headed home Kudus' corner but the referee ruled it out for a little push from Micky van de Ven and that decision was upheld by VAR. The Dutchman was then wrestled to the floor from a corner 35 minutes in but after a brief pause nothing was given by the officials.

Van de Ven was again involved with a shot saved by Mads Hermansen before one of the slowest-paced derbies in recent memory at that point reached its interval.

The game sparked to life with a frantic 10 minutes in the early stages of the second half. Just two minutes after the restart Xavi's corner found Pape Matar Sarr completely alone and unmarked at the back post to head home.

The drama continued on 54 minutes when Tomas Soucek lunged after a loose first touch and his studs were so high up Joao Palhinha's shin that they tore through the Portuguese's sock and the red card was brandished with little complaint.

Just three minutes after that dismissal, Bergvall sent a lovely looping header over Hermansen from Romero's pinpoint ball over the top to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

Spurs scored a third on 64 minutes when Van de Ven swept home the loose ball after a Bergvall run inside the hosts' box. Kudus had further opportunities to completely bury his old side but was unable to take them as Tottenham travelled the short distance back across the capital with three points, three goals and a clean sheet.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings from the victory:

Guglielmo Vicario

Didn't have much to do in the first half other than react well to a Van de Ven header backwards. Did save from Bowen's low effort early in the second period, but didn't have much else to do. 7

Pedro Porro

Nothing flashy but did what was needed down the right, leaving Kudus to bring the attacking threat. 7

Cristian Romero

A terrific captain's performance from start to finish. Hit a lovely pass to Xavi early on and then had a header ruled out for a push in the box. Got a delightful assist for his pinged long pass that Bergvall headed over the keeper and into the net. Always looking to get Spurs on the front foot and he dealt with everything that came his way. 9

Micky van de Ven

Made three or four great first half tackles and was unfortunate to be penalised for an adjudged push before Kudus' corner was headed in by Romero, even though he seemed to be pushed himself. The Dutchman then found himself wrestled to the floor from another corner but nothing was given. Didn't listen to Vicario's shout from one cross and almost put the keeper in bother with a flicked on header. However, he was mostly excellent and was rewarded for his defensive efforts with a goal at the other end, sweeping home after the ball fell his way in the box from a Bergvall run. 9

Djed Spence

Fresh from his England debut, this was a solid performance up and down the left flank. Picked up a yellow card for a challenge on Bowen but mostly did well against the Hammers captain. 7

Lucas Bergvall

Some nice touches throughout an industrious performance and scored his first Premier League goal with a well-timed run and a perfect looping header from Romero's lofted pass. Was also involved in the third goal with a little run into the Hammers' box. 8

Joao Palhinha

The anchor man behind the two number eights and he mopped up plenty. Will be delighted he had shinpads on after the Soucek lunge that tore his sock and brought a red card. Played his part in the third goal with a pass to send Bergvall into the box. 7

Pape Matar Sarr

Plenty of energy as usual and was rewarded with a free header at the back post from Xavi's corner early in the second half. He's having a great start to the season. 8

Mohammed Kudus

Booed with every touch, he had an early blocked shot and then thought he had an assist only for Romero's header from his corner to be ruled out. Was a constant menace to his old side and had a couple of late chances, one saved and the other blocked in front of goal. 8

Mathys Tel

Picked up a knock to his knee in the first half that had him hobbling around for a while. Worked hard without much quality until he played a part in Spurs' third goal. 5

Xavi Simons

Making his debut, he was left isolated at times on the left in the first half but when he got on the ball he showed flashes of quality. Grabbed a first Premier League assist with his deep curling corner to Sarr. Came off with 20 minutes to go and he will get fitter and sharper. Would be good to see him in a more involved number 10 role. 7

Subs

Destiny Udogie

Replaced Spence for the final 20 minutes and got into some good positions down the left but couldn't find the quality in his low passes across the box. 6

Richarlison

Came on with Udogie and gave West Ham something else to think about. Likely to start on Tuesday night you'd think. 6

Wilson Odobert

Came on for the final 10 minutes or so and was neat enough with his work. N/A

Brennan Johnson

Got into some good positions in added time and set up Kudus for a chance. N/A

Kevin Danso

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison has made his feelings on the club's disallowed goal against West Ham United perfectly clear - tearing into VAR on social media.

Spurs thought that they had taken the lead in the game when Cristian Romero turned the ball into the net from a corner. However, the referee's whistle cut short celebrations with Jarred Gillett ruled the goal out for a foul.

The decision was checked by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), but they stuck with an initial on-field decision to disallow the goal.

On X - formerly Twitter - the Premier League Match Centre account explained: "The referee's call of no goal was checked and confirmed by VAR with it deemed that van de Ven pushed Walker-Peters in the back and impacted his ability to play the ball.”

One person that wasn't happy with the decision was Maddison. The playmaker isn't involved, as he recovers from his serious knee injury suffered during pre-season, but was keeping a close eye nonetheless.

Taking to X himself, he wrote: "Honestly the referees & VAR have had an absolute shocker of a start to the season.

"If that goal is disallowed for a foul you will never ever see a corner taken without referee blowing for something ever again.." With the disallowed goal, Tottenham had to settle for going into their dressing room at half time with the score-line at 0-0.

It didn't take Spurs long to take the lead after the half time break with Pape Matar Sarr finding the net in the 47th minute. West Ham then found themselves down to 10-men with Tomas Soucek shown a straight red card, with 54 minutes on the clock in east London.

It has been revealed why Tomas Soucek was sent off during West Ham's clash against Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Saturday evening. The 30-year-old midfielder was given his marching orders shortly after the break following a challenge on Joao Palhinha.

Jarred Gillett brandished the red card, and Soucek left the field. The Video Assistant Referee, John Brooks, and his assistant, Natalie Aspinall, quickly reviewed the incident at Stockley Park, confirming the on-field decision.

An official statement from the Premier League Match Centre on X, formerly known as Twitter, reads: "The referee's call of red card to Soucek for serious foul play was checked and confirmed by VAR, with the contact deemed to be high on the shin which endangered the safety of the opponent."

A few moments later, Tottenham doubled their lead through Lucas Bergvall, who latched onto a delightfully lofted pass from Cristian Romero. The 19-year-old midfielder, who marked his 50th appearance with a goal, leapt above his marker and headed the ball over Mads Hermansen.

Before Pape Matar Sarr broke the deadlock on the brink of half-time, Spurs had a goal ruled out. Micky van de Ven, who later went on to score the Lilywhites' third of the evening, was adjudged to have fouled Kyle Walker-Peters during a corner.

Romero leapt above his marker and headed the ball into the top right corner. Unfortunately for the Tottenham captain, his goal was chalked off.

On X, the Premier League Match Centre said: "The referee’s call of no goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that van de Ven pushed Walker-Peters in the back and impacted his ability to play the ball."

Speaking to reporters on Friday ahead of the London derby, Thomas Frank described West Ham as 'extremely difficult' opposition. The Spurs boss said: "Very excited, I know it means a lot for the fans.

"We will go there and do everything we can to, of course try to win the game. I think we're facing a West Ham team which I think maybe didn't have the best start. I think they got a very good win against Nottingham, and I think they did well.

"I think they've got some top players. I've known Graeme Potter for years, and I've followed his fantastic work all the way from Sweden to Swansea to Brighton to Chelsea to now here. So big respect for him and his staff.

"I know it will be difficult, and I know this game tomorrow will be extremely difficult because no matter if West Ham were top of the league or bottom of the league or middle of the league, this game will just make them raise their level.

"So I expect an extremely difficult game, but we'll be ready for it and we're ready to attack."

Frank will quickly turn his attention to Tuesday night when Tottenham take on Villarreal in the Champions League. The Lilywhites will host the La Liga outfit in north London as they look to start the campaign on the right foot.

Thomas Frank has handed a debut to Xavi Simons as Tottenham take on West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

With Tottenham's first Champions League game on Tuesday night against Villarreal, Frank had to make decisions over who could start in both games in quick succession and which players would only be in the starting line-up for one of the games. Frank has two new signings in his squad in Xavi and Randal Kolo Muani, who joined the club from RB Leipzig and PSG respectively, and while the Dutchman starts, his new French team-mate, who has not played since the beginning of July is among the substitutes.

Dominic Solanke remains out with his ankle problem but Mohammed Kudus starts in his first trip back to the London Stadium following his £55million move across the capital to Spurs in the summer.

Frank would have had various players at different stages of fitness and recovery with Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison the final ones to return from games in South America that kicked off at 12.30am UK time on Wednesday. With that in mind, Mathys Tel and Lucas Bergvall come into the team in what looks to be a 4-3-3 with Xavi on the left.

At left-back, Djed Spence starts against after making his England debut late on in the midweek win in Serbia with Destiny Udogie now back and fit and likely to start in Europe in midweek. There is no room for Archie Gray on a packed bench.

Here's the Tottenham team Frank has chosen to face the Hammers:

Tottenham Hotspur travel to the London Stadium this evening for a fierce clash with rivals West Ham United.

Spurs head into the fixture relatively satisfied by the start Thomas Frank has made in north London. After back-to-back victories to start the campaign, including an impressive away victory over Manchester City, Tottenham were brought down to Earth with a bump after losing at home to AFC Bournemouth.

They have Mohammed Kudus in their ranks who is expected to receive a less than warm reception on his first trip back to West Ham since his summer exit. As for the Hammers, they suffered a nightmare start to the season, while conceding eight goals in two matches.

However, the Hammers pulled off a magnificent 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, before the international break, to ease some of the pressure off Graham Potter. Ahead of this huge London derby, football.london has taken a closer look at how you can follow all of the action.

What time is kick-off?

West Ham vs Spurs shall kick-off at 5.30pm (UK time) on Saturday, September 13.

How can I watch the match in the UK?

This fixture has been chosen for Sky Sports' TV coverage. As such, the match will be available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

Fans can also stream the match in the UK via either the Sky Sports App or a Now TV sports pass.

What if I'm not in the UK?

Due to the Premier League's global broadcast rights, supporters outside of the UK will, also, be able to follow the action. In the United States, for example, fuboTV and Peacock will be showing the game while DAZN, fuboTV and Amazon Prime have the rights in Canada.

Over in Asia, the fixture will be shown on Coupang Play in South Korea and U-NEXT in Japan. Meanwhile in Africa, most countries shall be showing the game live on SuperSport Premier League including Nigeria, Mozambique and South Africa.

As for in Europe, Spain shall show the game on DAZN, France will have it on Canal+ Foot, while Germany will be broadcasting the fixture on Sky Sport Premier League.

How else can I follow the fixture?

Welcome to football.london's live coverage of Tottenham's Premier League match at West Ham United this evening.

Thomas Frank has two exciting new Spurs signings to hand debuts to in Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani after the duo's arrivals from RB Leipzig and PSG respectively. He remains without striker Dominic Solanke though, who is yet to shake off an ankle problem that has dogged him since the summer.

This is also the first match of the post-Daniel Levy era at the club with the departure during the international break of the former executive chairman after 24 years at the helm. CEO Vinai Venkatesham will be the main man running the club on a day-to-day basis with backing from non-executive chairman Peter Charrington and the powerful Lewis family.

Alasdair Gold is in Stratford throughout the day to bring you live coverage of Tottenham's fifth match of the season which kicks off a packed schedule of fixtures over the coming month. Stay tuned for detailed updates and analysis from the London Stadium.

The international break is over and with that comes the return of the Premier League – and what better way to start a Saturday evening than a proper London derby.

As well as Millwall playing Charlton on the same day, West Ham will host their other big rivals, with Tottenham travelling to East London for a 5.30pm kick off.

The rivalry between West Ham and Spurs is no secret and became globally recognised 20 years ago in the film Green Street. Pete Dunham (played by Charlie Hunnam) famously mocked Tottenham for having both a “s***” football team and firm.

Another lead character in the film was Leo Gregory, 46, who played a fictional Inter City Firm hooligan called Bovver.

Bovver was one of the favourites from the movie, where he became a turncoat by informing members of Millwall’s firm about a “journo” in the West Ham ranks.

Leo is indeed a massive football fan in real life and he may well be at the London Stadium this weekend, but he will not be cheering on the players in claret and blue.

That’s because Leo is in fact a huge Spurs supporter, despite people still believing he follows the Hammers.

Back in May of this year, Bovver posted a clip of the film on his Instagram page, and one person commented: “Must have been hard playing a West Ham hooligan when you're a massive spurs fan. COYS.”

Replying, Leo said: “Nah was alright I was Bovver in those moments not me.”

He added a winky fancy before the person replied: “Fair enough. Would you have done it if it was Arsenal though?”

Leo responded with two laughy faces and another fan added: “Broke my heart finding out you’re Spurs.”

A third went with: “Classic film remember like yesterday can’t believe that was 20 years ago where has time gone my man.”

Leo once said the success of Green Street helped fund his home and away travels to watch his beloved Tottenham play. He is also not shy about teasing West Ham supporters.

He previously told All News Press: “With this film, West Ham financed my season to follow the Spurs. The funniest thing is when Hammers pounce on me seeing me around their stadium for a derby. They yell ‘Bovver, Bovver’ and ask me for an autograph. I still sign THFC [Tottenham Hotspur Football Club], they are shocked and I love it.”

Leo, who recently has been promoting clothes for Weekend Offender, also appeared in the football hooligan film Cass, another project based on West Ham fans, and one of his most recent roles was in Channel 4 drama Screw.

Tottenham are back in action this weekend - and it's their first match since the transfer window closed. Thomas Frank has been busy shaping his squad in his own mould throughout the summer.

A number of new faces arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium throughout the window, while a host of stars departed the club. And before Spurs' next game against West Ham at the London Stadium, the club's squad for the 2025/26 Premier League season has been finalised.

And it's no shock to see all of their summer signings involved. Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha is drafted straight in following his loan move, while Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons has also been handed a place.

Randal Kolo Muani and Mohammed Kudus are also given places following their switches from Juventus and West Ham respectively - and the latter expected to play against his former side this weekend.

A number of the summer arrivals are, however, named in the club's Under-21 list, hence why they have been 'omitted' from the official 25-man squad. That's the case with young defenders Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai.

French forward Mathys Tel is also among the Under-21 players after making his loan switch from Bayern Munich permanent. He has, however, been omitted from Spurs' squad for the Champions League.

Elsewhere, there are a few more intriguing names included that might not otherwise have been. Midfielder James Maddison is expected to miss the vast majority of the current campaign with a serious knee injury.

But there could now be optimism that he can appear at least once before the end of the campaign - having been named in the squad. Meanwhile, Vuskovic, Alfie Moore and Alfie Devine are all included despite having sealed loan moves away from north London late in the summer window.

Elsewhere, key midfielder Lucas Bergvall is a noticeable omission from the senior list, but he's included among the Under-21 players, as are Archi Gray and Wilson Odobert.

Intriguingly, Spurs still have space to add more new faces to the squad should they want to. Frank's current squad boasts just 23 Over-21 players, meaning there is space for two new additions.

Whether they dip into the free agent market between now and January - or wait until the winter window opens - remains to be seen. Of Spurs' senior players, five are considered home grown; namely Brandon Austin, Djed Spence, Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League squad;

Goalkeepers: Vicario, Kinsky, Austin*

Defenders: Van den Ven, Davies, Dragusin, Porro, Romero, Spence*, Udogie, Danso

Midfielders: Bentacur, Bissouma, Palhinha, Maddison*, Sarr, Simons

Attackers: Richarlison, Johnson*, Kolo Muani, Kudus, Kulusevski, Solanke*

Select U21 players

Bergvall, Devine, Gray, Lankshear, Moore, Odobert, Phillips, Scarlett, Takai, Tel, Vuskovic

Former Tottenham strikers Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora have backed Ange Postecoglou to thrive at new club Nottingham Forest. Postecoglou was sacked by Spurs in June despite leading the club to Europa League glory, but has only been out of the game for three months.

The Australian is being thrown in at the deep end, with Arsenal awaiting in his first Forest game. He will also arrive with a very different style to predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo, but there is a feeling he has the qualities to hit the ground running.

“I wasn't surprised [to see him back in the game so soon],” said Defoe, who is making his own way in the coaching space after spending time working with Spurs' academy when doing his badges. “Knowing Ange the man, he doesn't shy away from a challenge.

“The fact that he's got this opportunity, it's a massive football club, Nottingham Forest. Won a European trophy, I've mentioned that domestically he wasn't good but at the same time what an opportunity to go into an amazing football club and try to make a difference.

“He's a top manager, he said he was going to win and he does that. But that's football. Managers come and go, but then when you're out of work as a manager you can't wait to get back in. So that's just the game.”

Forest finished 27 points better off than Postecoglou’s Spurs last season, despite scoring six fewer goals. However, Zamora doesn’t think the stylistic differences compared to Nuno will cause too many issues “It's a very different style,” Zamora admitted.

“These are intelligent players, though. They're players that have all played at the very top level, so a change of formation, a change of style, okay, they'll get it, they'll understand it. Listen, they might love it and they might hit the ground running and really shock the Premier League.”

Upon taking over at the City Ground, Postecoglou made it clear he is out to win trophies. He set the same target at Spurs and delivered on it, and Defoe believes he deserves credit for aiming high and succeeding.

“People laughed when he said it but it was like 'That's what I believe',” he added. “Then he delivered it so we just have to hold our hands up and say 'if you say you're going to win a trophy and you win a trophy, what can you say?'”