West Ham 1-1 Tottenham: 4 talking points as drab London derby ends all-square | OneFootball

FROM THE LONDON STADIUM - Jarrod Bowen's tenth Premier League goal of the season earned West Ham United a 1-1 draw against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors took the lead through Wilson Odobert's 15th-minute goal, punishing a glaring error by Max Kilman, but Ange Postecoglou's rotated side weren't able to hold on against a West Ham team still looking to find their groove under Graham Potter.

Bowen's equaliser from an acute angle was a tremendous finish, but it proved to be a rare bright spark on what was another fairly flat display in front of West Ham's supporters.

How the game unfolded

With West Ham safe from relegation and Tottenham undoubtedly thinking about this Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg tie against Bodo/Glimt, it was perhaps no surprise that things took a little while to get going in east London.

A fairly drab 15 minutes then sparked into life not because of a brilliant piece of individual play, rather an unnecessary error from Kilman that sums up a lot of West Ham's season. Caught dallying on the ball by Mathys Tel, he could only look on in horror – signalling to the referee for a potential handball that wasn't there upon further inspection – as Odobert was presented with the ball on a plate.

The France under-21 international did the rest, slotting past fellow countryman Alphonse Areola from close range to score his first Premier League goal in Spurs colours.

The advantage didn't last long for Ange Postecoglou's side though, as West Ham hit back before the half-hour mark to level proceedings. A counter down the right side allowed Aaron Wan-Bissaka to slip Bowen in behind, and he advanced on goal before firing between the legs of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from the tightest of angles.

Despite over 60,000 being in attendance, the goals failed to bring the game to life as both sides lacked quality when it really mattered. Richarlison fired over the crossbar in the only other meaningful moment of the first half, and the second wasn't much better as both teams cancelled each other out as soon as an attack was launched into the final third.

It took until the final ten minutes for another moment to get those in the stadium off their seat - Bowen's flicked header from James Ward-Prowse' set-piece superbly palmed away by the sprawling Vicario.

Archie Gray then diverted the ball just wide of his own near post as Bowen broke in behind again, but it wouldn't have counted anyway as the offside flag was belatedly raised against the latter.

The final action of the game saw James Ward-Prowse fire a trademark dipping free-kick just wide of Vicario's post, meaning he is still yet to score a set piece for West Ham.

Spurs have more important things to worry about

Ange Postecoglou's season is riding on Europa League success / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The heavy rotation of Postecoglou was a sure-fire sign that the encounter with West Ham doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The Australian would have wanted to win, of that there is no question, but a back four of Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence is evidence enough that the only important thing to Spurs is winning the Europa League.

If Spurs can do that, they earn the right to play in next season's Champions League - increasing their ability to attract top-class players while enjoying the financial windfall that comes from playing in European football's premier club competition.

What this game did tell Postecoglou is that further strengthening is going to be needed next season, if Spurs are to have the squad depth to compete on multiple fronts. Richarlison looked off the pace up front and rarely troubled West Ham with his movement, while there's no doubt that Yves Bissouma can be upgraded in midfield.

Spurs are 16th in the Premier League for a reason and didn't do anything here to suggest they are much better than a struggling West Ham.

End of season can't come quick enough for West Ham

Wilson Odobert punished an early West Ham error / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The 2024/25 season for West Ham has, for all intents and purposes, been a complete write-off. The change demanded by supporters bored and fed up of David Moyes' style of play hasn't been delivered, and instead the Hammers have been rather lucky to be as far clear of the bottom three as they are. In any other season, they'd be bang in trouble.

Not even the appointment of Graham Potter has energised West Ham, who in reality have had very little to play for since they exited the FA Cup third round in early January. The past four months have been about readjusting to a new style of play, though not even the most optimistic of supporters would say that's gone well.

The fact the two sets of teams walked out to near silence at London Stadium said it all – the musical powers that be forgetting to play the Premier League anthem as the players left the tunnel – and there was a distinct lack of energy and pizzazz for what's meant to be a clash between two fierce London rivals.

There was the odd bit of unrest as handball shouts were waved away and Bowen's goal certainly lifted the home mood. However, a complete reset is needed for West Ham to get back competing at the level they have for the past few seasons – the trouble being that this blip has coincided with the likes of Fulham, Bournemouth and Brentford getting noticeably better.

Tel good but not pulling up any trees

Mathys Tel puts Jean Clair-Todibo under pressure / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Tottenham's desire to bring in a new forward led to the deadline day loan signing of Mathys Tel - a move that at the time looked like good business given he was wanted by a number of top teams across the continent.

Included in that agreement is the option for Spurs to make the deal permanent this summer by paying Bayern Munich in the region of £50m - a price that now seems to be commonly bandied about for any player who seems to have a shred of talent.

Whether or not Tel is actually worth splashing the cash on remains to be seen. The 20-year-old is clearly capable of mixing it at the highest level but it's not entirely clear what his best position is. The Frenchman would argue it's through the middle as a central striker, while Ange Postecoglou has opted to stick him out on the left more often than not.

With Son Heung-min sidelined, that's where Tel operated again here. He forced the error from Kilman to set up Odobert's goal but didn't carry the kind of threat you'd want from a player you're potentially committing a sizeable chunk of your summer budget to. Food for thought for whoever's in Spurs' dugout next season and for the controller of the purse strings.

Potter needs tempo setter in midfield

Graham Potter needs a spark to bring West Ham to life / Alex Davidson/Getty Images

West Ham's formation has completely changed under Potter, with Bowen and Mohammed Kudus shifting into central areas to allow the width to come from wing-backs Wan Bissaka and Emerson, and there's no doubting that from a shape and structure point of view, they look better.

But there's one important ingredient missing for West Ham, that threatens to undermine everything Potter is trying to achieve unless it's addressed. And that's a player getting hold of midfield and dictating everything that happens.

Lucas Paqueta is in the team to perform that function and you can't argue against his individual ability, touch and general weight of pass. But one thing that lets the Brazilian down is the speed at which he gets things going for the home side. It's all a little too laboured and a little too pedestrian for what West Ham need, and he does get caught in possession at times to really put the Hammers under the cosh.

James Ward-Prowse, on the bench for this game, isn't the answer and there's every chance Paqueta leaves London Stadium this summer anyway. With that in mind, you can bet Potter and his staff are working on targets to bring in and add a different dynamic.

Check out the player ratings from West Ham 1-1 Tottenham here.