Hammers denied derby win by Son stunner

Son Heung-min cancelled out a similarly improbable long-range strike from Pedro Obiang as Tottenham snatched a 1-1 draw against West Ham.

Obiang and Son traded incredible goals as the London derby between Tottenham and West Ham at Wembley finished level. It is the fourth time Spurs have been held at their temporary home in the Premier League this season and Mauricio Pochettino’s side lie fifth, three points shy of Liverpool who sit a place above them.

Spurs almost lost in show-stopping fashion when defensive midfielder Obiang was allowed room 30 yards from goal to unleash a thunderous 70th-minute shot into the top corner beyond a helpless Hugo Lloris.It was West Ham’s first shot of any description in the game and, given Spurs had managed 20 by the time they fell behind, a share of the spoils was the least they deserved.Son made his own strong case for the best goal of the night with a spectacular hit from similar range, but Pochettino’s men were unable to make it four wins out of four over the festive period.

West Ham edge two points clear of the relegation zone and, while it might not always be as pretty as Obiang’s moment of inspiration, David Moyes has hit upon a fruitful formula when faced with the capital’s heavyweights.

A 1-0 win over Chelsea and a gruelling 0-0 draw with Arsenal means the Hammers have taken five points from London derbies within the past month.

West Ham goalkeeper Adrian fumbled from an early corner and Declan Rice – in for the injured Aaron Cresswell – was on hand to block Davinson Sanchez’s shot.

Harry Kane was back in the Spurs starting XI following illness and took aim from the edge of the area before the half hour, curling a strike towards the bottom right corner, although Adrian proved equal to the task.

Son found room amongst a mass of West Ham defenders to test the visiting goalkeeper once more, while Kane was unable to convert at the back post when Serge Aurier guided a volley from Eric Dier’s raking pass just beyond the Premier League’s top scorer.

Adrian concluded the half by tipping a deflected Christian Eriksen strike over at the end of a move where the Denmark playmaker and Dele Alli enjoyed rare room to drive towards the away defence.

Spurs continued to be frustrated early during the opening stages of the second half, with precious few signs that the West Ham resistance will waver.

Alli looked the most likely source of a breakthrough and the England midfielder rose to head Ben Davies’ cross wide at the far post after Eriksen had another attempt blocked.

Pablo Zabaleta slid in brilliantly to deny Kane, although Adrian’s challenge on Alli after the loose ball looped up gave Spurs further cause to seek Mike Dean’s whistle.

The vaguely unusual sight of West Ham being inside the Tottenham half with 20 minutes to play thundered the game into life as Obiang languidly surveyed his options and stunningly hit the jackpot.

Adrian got away with spilling a Kane shot as Spurs streamed forward looking for a response, while Cheikhou Kouyate might have doubled West Ham’s lead when Obiang turned provider with a searching cross.

Son then matched the would-be match-winner with a venomous long-ranger of his own that swerved away from Adrian and crashed into the net.

The contest belatedly shed its shackles during the last five minutes, with Lloris thwarting substitute Andre Ayew to deny West Ham a victory to follow up their October EFL Cup triumph at Wembley.

Key Opta stats:

– In four London derbies in all competitions under David Moyes, West Ham have managed just three shots on target. However, they’ve scored two of them, and have lost just once (W1 D2).
– Son Heung-min has been directly involved in 12 goals in his last nine home games for Tottenham in all competition (7 goals, 5 assists).
– Spurs have never lost a Premier League game on a Thursday (P11 W6 D5 L0) – it’s the highest number of games played by a team on a specific day without defeat in the competitions history.
– Harry Kane has scored just three goals in his last 10 Premier League London derby matches, failing to find the net on eight occasions in that run.

-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za