Spurs finally overcame their demons as they won away from home for the first time since January in a seven goal thriller against Westham that left the hammers hammered by the magic of new manager Jose Mourinho, “the special one”.
Spurs’ away record was one of the worst features of the final months of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign. And, in just 90 minutes at the London Stadium, Mourinho achieved something his predecessor had been unable to do since January – win on the road in the Premier League.
Mourinho knows the value of a winning start – he had won the first match in all of his previous jobs in the Premier League. And facing the Hammers, who had taken just two points from their previous six Premier League outings, gave him the ideal chance to maintain that record.
The fact the long-awaited victory came against West Ham made it all the sweeter for Spurs’ supporters, instantly giving Mourinho extra credit with a fanbase who adored former Mauricio Pochettino who was sacked recently.
Three unanswered goals between the 36th and 49th minutes left Spurs cruising. And, while Mourinho will be frustrated that his side conceded twice in the closing stages, the 3-2 win should nonetheless be effective in changing the mood around the club, for the next few days at least.
Obviously the decision to change the head coach paid off big. Spurs can only hope for better days under “the special one”.