West Ham Utd - 2 Tottenham Hotspur - 0 After West Ham had won their second home league fixture of the season to leave only goal difference between themselves and Bolton Wanderers in 17th place, the PA system played the theme from The Great Escape.
The full implication of West Ham's mini-revival, which has brought three victories in five matches, will not be known until Bolton have visited Anfield on Saturday.
Even so, West Ham are entitled to feel a mite more optimistic than they were six weeks ago, when the convention that whoever is bottom at Christmas always goes down appeared unchallengeable.
Les Ferdinand opened the scoring on 31 minutes against his former club and after Ledley King and Stephen Carr had skied attempts to clear Michael Carrick's centre from the right, the strength of Ferdinand's challenge forced Kasey Keller to spill the ball, which Carrick then drove in for the second on 47 minutes.
WEST HAM: James, Johnson, Repka, Pearce, Brevett, Sinclair, Bowyer, Carrick, Cole, Les Ferdinand (Hutchison 62), Defoe. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Breen, Moncur, Cisse. Booked: Johnson, Bowyer, Cole. Goals: Les Ferdinand 31, Carrick 47.
TOTTENHAM: Keller, Bunjevcevic (Thatcher 45), King, Richards, Carr, Davies, Anderton, Etherington (Acimovic 76), Taricco, Sheringham, Doherty (Freund 66). Subs Not Used: Sullivan, Toda. Booked: Taricco, Davies.
Reeree: N Barry (N Lincolnshire).
