Tottenham 1 West Ham 0: Controversy seems to go hand in hand with matches between Tottenham and West Ham. The last time they played, upset stomachs were blamed for Spurs missing out on a place in the Champions League. This time, the Tottenham manager, Martin Jol, had to explain why Jermain Defoe had bitten Javier Mascherano.
The bizarre incident occurred late in the first half when Defoe was crudely tackled from behind by the Argentina international. With both players on the floor Defoe made a lunge towards Mascherano's arm. How much the bite hurt is debatable, but the West Ham midfielder certainly made the most of it and a melee ensued as virtually every outfield player rushed towards the referee, Steve Bennett.
After a lot of pushing and shoving, Bennett eventually cautioned only Defoe and Mascherano. Jol later tried to laugh off the bite, although the Football Association may wish to investigate. "He was nibbling his arm - there will be no mark," said Jol. "Ask Mascherano if he has got a mark and he will tell you. It's part of the game and they kicked him from behind three times in 10 minutes. He wanted to show his frustration in a nice, comical way."
West Ham's manager, Alan Pardew, felt Defoe could have been sent off. "Obviously Mascherano has brought him down from behind - it was a definite booking," he said. "I didn't quite see the reaction from Defoe. It did look like he gestured towards him, whether there was any contact I don't know. I thought the gesture he did was very close. Maybe he could have gone then. It's the sort of break we get at the moment. If Jermain had got sent off it could have changed the game."
Pardew's disappointment was compounded by Mido's winning goal, which arrived shortly after the Defoe incident and deep into first-half stoppage-time. "I asked the referee and said 'I thought you played too long' to which his answer was 'keep your chin up'," said Pardew.
He has good reason to feel sorry for himself. After reaching the FA Cup final and qualifying for Europe last season, this was his team's seventh consecutive defeat. In addition they have not scored a goal for more than a month - 668 minutes of football - when Pardew warned of the dangers of what he called the "circus" surrounding the arrivals of Mascherano and his Argentina colleague Carlos Tevez.
The implied backdrop of players being happily distracted, however, appears to have changed to one of uncertainty over the future ownership and even the home of the club.
"One win and one goal will give everyone a boost," said Pardew.
Tottenham deserved this win and they were noticeably lifted by the return of Aaron Lennon.
- Guardian Service
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