Son Heung-Min scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United 3-1 on Sunday to move within three points of the top four and the chance of Champions League football next season.
The afternoon got off to a terrible start for Hammers defender Kurt Zouma when he steered Harry Kane‘s low centre to Son into the net in the ninth minute, the 10th own goal of the season that Spurs have benefited from.
It got worse for Zouma midway through the first half as Son made it two for Spurs, collecting a defence-splitting pass from Kane before firing a left-foot shot that glanced Zouma’s outstretched leg before looping into the net.
Said Benrahma pulled one back for West Ham in the 35th minute but Son scored again in the 88th to secure a win that lifts Spurs to fifth on 51 points, three ahead of the Hammers, who slip to seventh, and three behind fourth-placed Arsenal.
West Ham weathered a couple of early second-half chances before finding their rhythm, and they should have levelled after a sweeping move that ended when Michail Antonio volleyed over the bar in the 56th minute.
Having suffered through a poor spell, Spurs got their passing back on track and recent signing Dejan Kulusevski curled an effort just over and wide as the home side began to take back control.
Kane missed an even better chance, somehow blazing the ball over after a superb pass from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg left him with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Son came to the rescue again in the 88th minute, chasing down a long ball from Kane and firing home to send Spurs fifth in the table, three points behind Arsenal, who are fourth on 54 points and have a game in hand over Spurs.
The result was a bitter blow for David Moyes’ West Ham as they slipped to seventh in the table, with their chances of Champions League football next season rapidly fading.