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Tottenham squander another lead with West Ham win – ARN News Centre
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Tottenham Hotspur’s chronic inability to convert leads into Premier League points returned with a vengeance in a 2-1 home defeat by West Ham United as their winless run extended to five matches.
West Ham were outplayed in the opening half on Thursday, in which Cristian Romero marked his return from suspension to head Tottenham into an early lead but goals by Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse turned the derby on its head in the second half.
Bowen equalised after 52 minutes when a rebound fell into his path before Ward-Prowse netted a bizarre winner in the 74th minute following a mistake by Destiny Udogie.
West Ham, now unbeaten in six games in all competitions, soaked up some late Tottenham pressure and held on for a victory that moved them within three points of their London rivals.
While Tottenham remain in fifth place with 27 points they have not won since October and the optimism of their best start after 10 games since 1960 is fading fast.
Tottenham are now the first team in Premier League history to lead 1-0 in five successive games without winning any of them and have taken only one point from the last 15 on offer.
And just as against Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa they only had themselves to blame.
“We dominated another game of football and didn’t turn that into something more tangible and we kept the opposition in the game,” manager Ange Postecoglou told reporters.
“I thought we were poor in both boxes today. At halftime 1-0 was not a good performance by us, a good performance would have been 3-0 or 4-0, with the game put to bed.
“When you don’t, you get what you deserve.”
West Ham manager David Moyes said he was happy his side had trailed only 1-0 at halftime.
“I don’t know if we touched the ball for eight or nine minutes,” he said. “But we are a team who can give some of the good teams a bloody nose, we have that in us.”
For all the praise of Tottenham’s free-flowing style since Postecoglou took charge they desperately needed a victory to get their stuttering league campaign back on track.
They had an incredible 92 per cent possession in the opening 10 minutes and duly made it 1-0.
It was Romero’s red card a month ago against Chelsea which precipitated Tottenham’s slump but the Argentine began to make amends as he met Pedro Porro’s corner with a header that arced away from Lukasz Fabianski and nestled in the net.
With West Ham strangely passive, Tottenham should have underlined their superiority but they were over-elaborate at times although Fabianski was required to make sharp saves to keep out shots by Giovani Lo Celso and Brennan Johnson.
West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta headed horribly wide when he should have equalised just before halftime and it was a warning that Tottenham failed to heed.
Seven minutes after the break a Mohammed Kudus shot took a double deflection off Spurs defenders Romero and Ben Davies and fell to Bowen who lashed a shot high past Guglielmo Vicario to become only the third Premier League player to score in seven consecutive away games.
Tottenham’s fans suddenly had a nagging sense of deja vu and their team self-destructed as Udogie’s casual back pass put keeper Vicario in trouble and although he blocked Bowen’s initial effort the ball bounced to Ward-Prowse.
His first effort at an open goal hit the post but it rebounded back to him and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to send West Ham’s fans into delirium.
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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