
Tottenham Hotspur got off to the perfect start in torrential conditions at London Stadium on Tuesday night, with Brennan Johnson giving Ange Postecoglou's side the lead after five minutes.
A good passage of play saw the ball reach Timo Werner, who took on Vladimir Coufal before lashing a ball across the six-yard box. With Brennan Johnson on hand to tap home from just a couple of yards out.
The Lilywhites inability to defend set-pieces once again outshone their good work with the ball as Jarrod Bowen's in-swinging corner found the unmarked Kurt Zouma, who rose highest and scored off his back.
The game finished frantically as Michail Antonio missed a golden chance to give his side the lead. Similarly, Destiny Udogie failed to dispatch a tremendous chance with seconds to play.
The ball reached the Italian on the edge of the box, he had time but opted instead to hit it straight away with his weak shot straight down the throat of Lukasz Fabianski. Missed opportunities saw the spoils shared in East London.
Here are four things we learned from the London derby.
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Michail Antonio is 'all talk'
When sitting down for a podcast with Callum Wilson, Antonio has constantly berated Tottenham striker Richarlison, however, when it came to facing off against Spurs at the London Stadium, it was the Jamaican who let himself down.
Should the West Ham forward have had his shooting boots on, all three points surely would have stayed in East London. Antonio, however, missed a number of golden opportunities, and instead the points were shared.
Antonio stung the palms of Guglielmo Vicario after only two minutes of second half action, before he had a howler with 59 minutes on the clock. Racing through on goal after a long ball by James Ward-Prowse, Antonio managed to go one-on-one with Vicario after getting away from Micky van de Ven.
With no-one around him, he had all the time in the world to pick out the bottom corner, but instead, placed a weak shot right towards the Tottenham goalkeeper, who saved it comfortably.
Despite possessing immense hold-up play, Antonio has struggled to hit the back of the net this season, scoring just four times. If West Ham want to hit the next level, they really need to begin exploring their options in order to make a move for a new talisman in the transfer window.
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Brennan Johnson continues to improve
Johnson, who came off the bench to spark a comeback victory against Luton on Saturday, was handed a start by Ange Postecoglou at the London Stadium and he made sure he repaid the faith shown in him by his manager.
The Welshman managed to get himself on the scoresheet after only five minutes, taking his tally to five goals and seven assists in the Premier League in 23/24.
After swapping Nottingham for London on Deadline Day in the summer transfer window, we are only now starting to see why he was purchased for £50m, making him the third most expensive signing in Tottenham's history.
With his electric pace and a striker's instinct when inside the penalty area, Johnson is continuing to impress supporters in North London. If he can continue his good run of form, that has seen him score or assist in three of his last four appearances, into the run in, he could end up with a staggering twenty direct goal contributions in what has has been a fine breakthrough season.
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Lack of depth costs Moyes
David Moyes didn't make a single substitution on Tuesday night, despite his side having just over two days of rest between the loss at Newcastle United, and the draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
With Alphonse Areola, Edson Alvarez and Nayef Aguerd the only three absentees, Moyes had a near fully fit squad at his disposal. Naming an unchanged starting eleven and nine subs on the bench, fans were left battled by the lack of action from the manager.
There seems to be a lack of trust in Danny Ings, and Maxwel Cornet has only just come back from an injury. Kalvin Phillips has had a tough start to life in London, and perhaps Moyes thought that the game was too busy for the Manchester City loanee. The same could be said for youngsters Divin Mubama and George Earthy. However, the inability to be proactive and make substitutions could cost the Hammers in weeks to come.
Across both transfer windows this campaign, nine players who featured regularly last season were allowed to depart the club for new challenges. The five signings made in an attempt to replace the outgoings were not enough, and in recent weeks the lack of squad depth that the poor planning has caused has been truly emphasised.
The Hammers must have a strong transfer window in the summer to try and break down the gap between the big six and the rest of the chasing pack. That includes bringing in some much-needed depth in order to avoid a similar situation to last night.
Had Moyes freshened things up and used his substitutions against Spurs, who knows what the result would have been.
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Tottenham cannot defend set-pieces
After Kurt Zouma's nineteenth-minute equaliser was the tenth time Spurs have conceded from a set-piece this campaign.
Last season, the Lilywhites were a force to be reckoned with from set plays, scoring on sixteen occasions and only conceding eight times, which was the third-lowest in the division. Having already surpassed the figure of goals against from last season, this is now becoming a major concern.
Kurt Zouma's goal, off his back, will be a kick in the teeth for Ange Postecoglou's side, with Brennan Johnson stating that it's "unacceptable" to concede from a set-piece in the fashion that Spurs did.
Spurs defended set-pieces in a zonal marking setup at the London Stadium. However, the setup was flawed all evening. Even after he scored, on numerous occasions, Kurt Zouma was left unmarked. One of the most bemusing decisions was for 5’ 7” James Madison to be left to mark 6’ 4” Tomas Soucek.
For their quality on the ball, Tottenham must improve their defensive efforts from corners because time and time again, it has cost them vital points.

