Tottenham Hotspur

There was a lot of love for Andreas Georgson in the tunnel at London Stadium after our 3-0 win against West Ham on Saturday.

Pape Matar Sarr was just explaining why the players were pointing towards the bench after he headed home from Xavi Simons' corner to open the scoring at the start of the second half when no other than Andreas, our First Team Assistant Coach and set-piece expert, walked behind the SPURSPLAY camera!

We were a constant threat from set plays and crosses. Indeed, half-time stats showed West Ham had made 27 clearances in the first half alone – and that went up to 42 by the end of the game. Cuti Romero had a goal disallowed from a corner in the first half, Micky van de Ven may well have earned a penalty from another and had an effort saved point-blank by Mads Hermansen. So, it was no surprise to see Pape – who stood, static, while everything unfolded in front of him – power home his header, unmarked at the far post, for that crucial opening goal.

“We worked on it two days ago,” added Pape. “I told Xavi yesterday, ‘if you have the ball, put the ball in and I will score’. In the first half, we spoke together, I told him to cross the ball, and it was good timing, when the ball arrived, I headed it in. It was a nice goal, always nice to score in a derby.”

Lucas Bergvall looped home a gorgeous header from Cuti Romero’s pass for 2-0 and Micky wrapped it up with a clinical finish in the second phase of another corner after we recycled West Ham’s clearance with Mathys Tel, Pedro Porro, Joao Palhinha and Lucas.

Pape added: “You know, we lost (against Bournemouth) before we went into the international break and today was special for us to win this game, we did it and we are all happy.”

Thomas Frank spoke about how Xavi Simons 'took the initiative' on his debut, how Lucas Bergvall 'drives the team' and how Pape Matar Sarr 'goes from strength to strength' after our 3-0 win at West Ham on Saturday.

All three made a huge contribution to an all-round team performance as our growing dominance in the first half was rewarded with three goals in 17 minutes at the start of the second half to ultimately secure the Premier League points - our third win in four, including three clean sheets.

Speaking on our Review Show, Thomas was first asked about Xavi's debut, the Dutch forward always probing and looking for answers offensively from the left and delivering the corner for Pape to open the scoring at the start of the second half.

"That's a promising debut," said Thomas. "I like what I saw from him, he took the initiative on the ball, something happened when he took it, he looked forward, he played forward. It was a fantastic assist, so pleased with that, that was promising."

Next up, Pape, who opened his account for the season with that key first goal, a bullet header. "It was a fantastic header, a fantastic ball from Xavi Simons," said Thomas. "Pape has been very good this season, very impressed with him. He just goes from strength to strength. He just needs to keep going."

Finally, Lucas, whose superbly-executed header from Cuti Romero's pass made it 2-0 - his first Premier League goal. "I really like his energy, his enthusiasm," said Thomas. "He's part of driving the team. There's so much more to come from him because he also sometimes needs to... he's young, so, okay, when do I play a little bit slower? When do I play a little bit quicker? When do I get to these positions? But now with the energy, the pressing and running in behind, a fantastic goal, very impressed with him."

Ben Haines and Clive Allen on The Review Show

Thomas Frank spoke to the media at London Stadium after our 3-0 win against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.

Here's what he had to say...

Q1: The game started slowly but did you get everything you wanted from it in the end?

Thomas: "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. 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. 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 - 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."

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. 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 (from South America) 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. I'm 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 (for Bayern Munich), 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?

"It's hugely important that we are good defensively. Obviously, we want to score, we 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."

You have chosen Lucas Bergvall as your HSBC Player of the Match after he starred in Saturday's 3-0 win at West Ham United.

In a poll run exclusively on the Spurs Official App, Lucas claimed the majority of your votes to take the crown for the first time this campaign.

Your Player of the Year last term as he completed a clean sweep of our Club awards after his maiden campaign in N17, the Swede has picked up from where he left off with a number of positive displays.

But, at the London Stadium on Saturday, everything really fell into place for the 19-year-old, no more so when he headed home our second of the afternoon in the 56th minute.

That goal, a well-weighted flick on from Cristian Romero's excellent long ball, saw Lucas bag his first-ever goal in England's top flight and, in doing so, he became our 178th different goalscorer in the competition - a Premier League record.

As well as helping us extend that record in the top flight, in breaking his goalscoring duck in the Premier League, he also became our youngest scorer in the competition since Dele Alli struck in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in November, 2015 - almost a decade ago.

It's quiz time! Lucas Bergvall has extended our Premier League record for the most different scorers in the competition for a single club as he became our 178th different goalscorer in the league with his strike at West Ham on Saturday. But, can you name all 178 of our goalscorers?

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, an incredible 178 different players have found the back of the net for us in the top flight. How many can you name?

Well that is the challenge we're proposing to you!

To take on the challenge, click the green 'Play Quiz' button below to get started before inputting your answers in the box titled 'enter player'.

You will have 20 minutes to name as many of the 178 players as you can. To help, the amount of goals they scored for the Club in the Premier League plus the country they are from are listed either side of their relevant answer box.

Helpful tip: If the player you are guessing has a multiple word surname, such as 'Giovani dos Santos', just type in the final word, ie. Santos, to score the point. For players with double-barrelled surnames, such as 'Cameron Carter-Vickers', you need to write the full surname, ie. Carter-Vickers.

Best of luck!

Name our 178 Premier League goalscorers

New signing Xavi Simons officially earned his Tottenham Hotspur Legacy Number after making his debut in our 3-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday.

Having arrived at the end of last month from RB Leipzig, the Netherlands international impressed from the start at the London Stadium and supplied the assist for Pape Matar Sarr’s opener with a corner kick.

Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven added further goals as we secured a comfortable win against the hosts, who had Tomas Soucek sent off.

In the wake of his Spurs bow, Xavi was given Legacy Number 898 – meaning there are now just two shy of 900 players to have represented Spurs in a senior competitive game.

Thomas Frank described our victory at West Ham as a ‘clear and well-deserved win’ as we put the Hammers to the sword 3-0 at London Stadium on Saturday evening.

There were many boxes ticked as second half goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven saw us home – Xavi Simons with an impressive debut, Mathys Tel working tirelessly up front, Pape and Lucas’ sheer energy in midfield and another clean sheet – our third in four games as we made it three wins in four.

We grew into the game after an even opening period and with crosses flying into West Ham’s box from all angles – Xavi and Mo Kudus particularly impressive – the home side racked up 27 clearances in the first half alone. That would to 42 by the final whistle.

Pape leapt unchallenged to power home his header from Xavi’s corner for 1-0, Lucas Bergvall produced a superb, controlled looping header from Cuti Romero’s cross for 2-0 and Micky drove home from close range for the third – three goals in 17 minutes and with Thomas Soucek sent off for a reckless challenge on Joao Palhinha, it was game over.

Speaking to us afterwards, Thomas reflected: “Yes, it was a very good win. I thought we performed very well in big spells of the game. The first 15, 20 minutes were even-ish but after that, I think we got more and more hold of the game.

“We ended very strongly in that first half, dominating, creating chances, crosses, you’re just waiting for that first goal to come. It didn’t come. In the second half, we just kept going and we scored good goals from Pape, a well-drilled corner, the second goal maybe even better, a fantastic ball from Romero to Lucas, really good and we just kept going. So, a clear and well-deserved win.”

We mentioned to Thomas about forcing West Ham into those 27 clearances in the first half in what appeared to be a clear policy of getting as many crosses into the box as possible – not forgetting that Cuti also had a goal disallowed after a VAR check, after heading home from Mo’s corner.

“27 - that's a lot,” said Thomas. “I’m big on trying to produce crosses, because they are so difficult to defend, especially with the risk of defending right up there, so we can cross, win it again, then another one. Then, one time, you will hopefully eventually crack them open, so, that bit succeeded today.”

A dominant second-half performance saw us pick up a glorious and comprehensive derby win at West Ham United on Saturday evening.

Although on top in the first half, we had to wait until early in the second period for the breakthrough thanks to Pape Matar Sarr’s fine header and, after Tomas Souček received a straight red card, we took full advantage. Lucas Bergvall netted his first-ever Premier League goal, on what was his 50th appearance in our colours, to make it 2-0 almost immediately before Micky van de Ven added a third to wrap up our first win at the London Stadium in six visits.

Thomas Frank handed a Spurs debut to new signing Xavi Simons, who took Legacy Number 898 as a result, while fellow new boy Randal Kolo Muani remained on the bench. Mohammed Kudus started against his former club.

The hosts had the first opportunity in the 14th minute, our former Academy graduate Kyle Walker-Peters, Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes combining to set up Lucas Paqueta, whose neat turn created space inside the area only to drag his shot wide of the post. We had the ball in the net five minutes later, Cristian Romero heading in Kudus’ corner but referee Jarred Gillett ruled it out for an apparent push by van de Ven on Walker-Peters in the area and VAR agreed with his decision, although it looked soft on the replays.

Indeed, corners were proving to be a dangerous outlet for us, eight of them alone in the first half, with the delivery from Kudus and Simons on either side causing all sorts of problems in the Hammers area, without the final touch falling our way. We were certainly the dominant team in that opening period, enjoying 57 per cent of the possession and playing some neat football as well, although it was no surprise when we took the lead from a corner just two minutes after the interval. Simons this time went deep with his delivery and Sarr was unmarked to power a header into the net.

West Ham went close to an immediate equaliser when a Bowen snap-shot was parried away for a corner by Guglielmo Vicario, while Max Kilman headed a Bowen free-kick over the bar as Graham Potter’s side looked for a swift response. But their cause was a dealt a huge blow in the 54th minute when Souček received a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on the stretch on Joao Palhinha. And just two minutes later, a magnificent ball from Romero found Bergvall in between two defenders and he sent a superb looping header over Mads Hermansen to make it 2-0.

That lead was increased eight minutes later with a well-taken finish from van de Ven, who swept the ball home from 12 yards out after Bergvall had evaded a couple of challenges, before Kudus then fired a volley over the bar as we kept up the pressure on the home goal. The healthy advantage allowed boss Thomas the opportunity to make five early substitutions as the result was in the bag and Kudus so nearly got the goal he so desperately craved back on familiar turf, only for Hermansen to deny him with a smart save low down to his left in the closing minutes.

We can confirm the starting line-ups and substitutes for our first game back after the international break at West Ham United (kick-off 5.30pm UK).

Xavi Simons makes his debut from the start as one of three changes from the team that faced AFC Bournemouth a fortnight ago.

He replaces Brennan Johnson, while Mathys Tel comes in for his first start of the season in place of Richarlison.

In midfield, Lucas Bergvall starts for the first time since the opening-day win over Burnley, with Rodrigo Bentancur dropping to the bench.

Our full line-up is as follows...

Starting XI: Vicario, Pedro Porro, Romero (c), van de Ven, Spence, Bergvall, Palhinha, Sarr, Xavi, Tel, Kudus.

Substitutes: Kinsky, Danso, Davies, Udogie, Bentancur, Odobert, Johnson, Richarlison, Kolo Muani.

West Ham name our former full-back Kyle Walker-Peters in their side. Here’s their full line-up...

Starting XI: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf, Fernandes, Ward-Prowse, Souček, Summerville, Bowen (c), Paquetá.

Substitutes: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Igor, Magassa, Irving, Luis Guilherme, Wilson, Füllkrug, Potts.

Our Under-18s produced a five-star showing to breeze past West Ham United at Little Heath on Saturday.

Oliver Boast contributed a well-taken brace to add to Armend Muslika’s opener as we surged into a 3-0 lead in the first half, with the England Under-17 international only denied his hat-trick by the crossbar at the start of the second period as we stayed on the front foot.

West Ham had a spell of possession as the half went on without causing any major problems for Blake Irow, before Muslika doubled his tally against the run of play with five minutes to go, pouncing on a wayward clearance from goalkeeper Lanre Awesu to fire home.

Under-16s striker Frankie Day – on for Boast – added the icing on the cake in stoppage time with his first goal at this level. Further good news saw the returns of captain George Feeney and Harry Byrne, who both picked up their first competitive minutes of the campaign after getting injured in pre-season.

More to follow...