Harry Kane-8.5
In fairness to Kane, he was a little unlucky not to secure a hat trick. It’s easy to forget that he struck the post twice in the second half. In particular, his marvelous free kick could have easily found its way into the back of the net.
As it happened, Kane was able to score a quality brace. For most, that would be enough to anoint him Spurs’ best player on the afternoon. I suppose I’m different. I can find a bit to criticize.
It is nitpicking, but I didn’t think his pressing was up to his usual standards. Perhaps he was a bit fatigued or maybe he was following Pochettino’s instructions. Either way, he didn’t harass West Ham’s centre backs with his usual energy. That slight weakness keeps his rating down to “just” an 8.5.
Hugo Lloris-6
It’s hard to rate a keeper in a match like this. Lloris really didn’t have much of a chance on either West Ham goal. He also didn’t make any saves that were remotely out of the ordinary. It might be unfair, but Lloris gets a very average rating for me in this match.
Harry Winks-5
Tottenham fans love to wax poetic about Harry Winks, but he didn’t deserve any sort of plaudits today. He was beaten badly for West Ham’s second goal and didn’t give his club much in his twenty or so minutes of action. He came on the pitch in a tough situation, but it wasn’t a good outing for the Academy product.
Kieran Trippier-6
I thought Trippier played reasonably well in his 15 minute outing. He didn’t do much for Spurs moving forward, but he did manage to put in a couple of excellent challenges. Trippier will never be my favourite player, but he did a solid job for Pochettino today.
Next: Tottenham star wants to fight for Pochettino
Fernando Llorente-6.5
Many fans questioned Llorente’s insertion in the match, but his arrival paid big dividends for Pochettino. He gave his club a real outlet late in the match and his hold up play helped kill off the match. He’ll want more playing time, but he did his job today.