Sam Allardyce says Tottenham were lucky to get draw

Sam Allardyce labelled Tottenham Hotspur as “lucky” after they staged a dramatic late fight-back to draw 2-2 with his West Ham United team at White Hart Lane.


The West Ham manager described Danny Rose’s 81st-minute goal which made the scoreline 2-1 as a “complete mis-kick” while he lamented how Harry Kane’s last-gasp equaliser had come from a fortuitous rebound after his penalty had been saved by Adrián.

Allardyce was unhappy with his midfielder, Alex Song, for the manner in which he put his hands on Kane at the very end of injury-time to allow the Tottenham striker to win the penalty.

It had a been a pulsating derby and there were recriminations on all sides, with Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham manager, complaining that West Ham’s second goal – scored at the far post by Diafra Sakho on 62 minutes – ought to have been disallowed for an offside in the middle against Enner Valencia.

Pochettino also said that the West Ham midfielder, Mark Noble, could have been sent off for a second yellow card on 63 minutes, when he lunged in on Nabil Bentaleb and caught him on the ankle. Allardyce substituted Noble on 68 minutes.

“It was more luck than talent that got Tottenham a point,” Allardyce said. “The first goal was a complete mis-hit. When it bounces over the goalkeeper after it’s hit the floor, it’s so unusual that it sneaks into the corner. And from our point of view, Alex has to keep his hands off Kane because he’s going to feel that contact and take to the floor.

“The referee gives him the opportunity to take the penalty and he wasn’t good enough to score that but he was lucky enough to get the rebound. We’ve been very unlucky.

“On Alex’s experience, you would say, yes, he should have known better. Kane wasn’t going to go anywhere because Aaron Cresswell was in a covering position and Kane’s first touch was too heavy. He knew that it was too heavy.”

The match officials had allowed a minimum of five added minutes in the second-half and Kane’s goal was timed at five minutes and 54 seconds. Allardyce was asked whether the referee, Jon Moss, ought to have blown for full-time immediately after Adrián’s penalty save and before Kane converted the rebound.

“The answer to that is ‘yes’ but he wouldn’t be brave enough to do that at home, would he?” Allardyce said. “I’d like a time-keeper, to be perfectly honest with you. But the referee’s not the reason why we drew. There was a huge slice of luck for Spurs.”

Pochettino disagreed, and he argued that Tottenham “deserved more than a point”. He claimed that Valencia had touched Noble’s cross before it reached Sakho for West Ham’s second goal – TV replays did not back him up, although there could be a discussion about whether Valencia was interfering with play – and he highlighted Noble’s tackle on Bentaleb. “The decisions were more against us than for us but this is football,” Pochettino said.


By David Hytner, Guardian