Tottenham collapses on Bale’s return to draw 3-3 vs West Ham

Tottenham was reworked by Gareth Bale’s homecoming, simply not in the way in which that Jose Mourinho had imagined.

Cruising 3-Zero when Bale got here off the bench within the 72nd minute towards West Ham, Tottenham extremely collapsed in a recreation it had been answerable for to attract 3-Three within the Premier League on Sunday.

It was with nearly the final kick of the sport that Manuel Lanzini blasted a shot from distance into the roof of the web to grab a degree that appeared extraordinarily unlikely when Son Heung-min scored within the first minute and Harry Kane netted twice by the 16th minute.

“It’s difficult to believe — we lost two points, threw them away,” Mourinho stated.

Agonizingly for Bale, after Fabián Balbuena’s header within the 82nd and Davinson Sánchez’s own-goal three minutes later, the on-loan ahead from Real Madrid had a golden probability to attain Tottenham’s fourth.

Released by Kane, Bale despatched Angelo Ogbonna sliding to the turf as he drilled into the penalty space however managed to pull a shot vast.

“It’s a pity he couldn’t score the fourth goal that could kill the game,” Mourinho stated. “The decision not to start him I think was a good decision, a decision to show that he doesn’t have a beautiful chair waiting for him in the team and he sits there the first time he can. It was a message to the team that in this team everybody has to fight for positions.”Rather than any pleasure for Bale on his return to Tottenham after seven years, it was a participant introduced on even later than the Welshman who ended up celebrating. It appeared unimaginable within the first half that the sport would finish with Lanzini ripping off his shirt and the visiting gamers piling on high of one another with West Ham supervisor David Moyes charging onto the pitch deliriously.

“For some reason they didn’t push on in the second half, try to kill off the game,” West Ham midfielder Declan Rice stated. “Once we got one we had to believe we could come back to draw or win.”It was the second straight league recreation at house the place Tottenham had thrown away a profitable place after being held 1-1 by Newcastle three weeks in the past after conceding a penalty. But that was adopted by a League Cup win over Chelsea, a 7-2 rout of Maccabi Haifa within the Europa League and 6-1 dismantling of Manchester United earlier than the worldwide break.

Spurs had been as ruthless as they had been at Old Trafford, initially, on this London derby.

Just 48 seconds had elapsed when Kane launched Son to twist within the opener. The pair mixed for an eighth time this season earlier than Kane nutmegged Rice and struck low into the web. It was Sergio Reguilón’s cross that Kane headed in for the third.

The recreation was beneath management till Mourinho disrupted it with a trio of adjustments, together with Bale’s arrival. Never earlier than has a staff had a 3-Zero lead after 82 minutes within the Premier League and surrendered it.

“My guys were not strong enough to cope with it psychologically,” Mourinho stated. “The last few seconds, we lost two points.” Tottenham has eight factors from 5 video games to take a seat in sixth place because it chases a return to the Champions League with a top-four end. West Ham is a degree additional again.