Mohammed Kudus had few complaints after he was eventually sent off late in Tottenham’s win against West Ham. After opening the scoring in the first half, Kudus’ afternoon got gradually worse before reaching quite the climax.
Second-half goals from Yves Bissouma, Son Heung-Min, and an own goal put Spurs 4-1 ahead despite trailing early on in north London. Kudus’ goal had come against the run of play but was cancelled out before the breakthrough Dejan Kulusevski.
An all too familiar sight for Julen Lopetegui left his side reeling after yet another defeat though. Things were confounded when Kudus, previously a bright spark for the Hammers, was dismissed in the final stages.
After colliding with Micky van de Ven in a tackle, Kudus seemingly kicked the Spurs defender whilst he was on the ground. When Van de Ven got up to confront his opponent, a brief shoving match ended with Kudus putting his hands squarely in the face of Van de Ven, pushing him over forcefully.
Perhaps lucky that Van de Ven didn’t make more of it than he might have, a skirmish involving most players on the pitch followed. Van de Ven went back for more, Guglielmo Vicario came to the centre of the pitch, and the newly introduced Richarlison also found himself at the centre of things.
Kudus, by this stage frustrated with his team’s collapse, and already likely facing a punishment for the kick-out and hit, went a step further. For the second time in just a minute, he confronted Richarlison and once more laid both hands on his face.
O’Hara outraged by West Ham v Tottenham controversy, ‘Disgrace’
Jamie O’Hara, West Ham badge, Tottenham badge, Mohammed Kudus
Jamie O’Hara could not believe that Micky Van de Ven was booked after being kicked by Mohammed Kudus in West Ham versus Tottenham on Saturday (19 October).
Frustrations started to flair in the final stages of the Premier League clash, with the Hammers going 4-1 down after scoring the opener, and Kudus’ red card was just another blow for Julen Lopetegui.
Having kicked the Spurs defender, the Ghanaian then hit him in the face. Referee Andrew Madley handed both players a yellow card before a VAR review saw the Hammers star’s card turn red.
Taking to X on Saturday (19 October), O’Hara wrote: “How is the ref booking Van de Ven? It’s a disgrace. Kudus kicks him twice and then pushes him in the face. Disgrace of a decision – VAR a joke too.”
Mohammed Kudus headloss in West Ham United v Tottenham
Kudus can have absolutely no objections when it comes to his red card, but Spurs will certainly be aggrieved after Van de Ven was carded for his role in the altercation.
There is no question that the Hammers players were becoming more and more frustrated, with Tomas Soucek picking up a yellow card for dissent, but Lopetegui cannot allow this to happen.
The Hammers will now be without one of their attacking stars for three matches, so Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio will need to pick up the pieces over that period.
One of the biggest concerns will be how Lopetegui’s side fell apart at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kudus opened the scoring after 18 minutes but the comeback was far too easy for Spurs.
The team finally looked to be heading in the right direction following the 4-1 win over Ipswich Town but they are back to square one following their 4-1 defeat to Spurs on Saturday.
