West Ham’s Taty Castellanos was needlessly booked for dissent just 20 seconds in, but then almost handed the hosts the lead, hooking his shot just over the bar.
Although the Hammers rarely threatened, some wonderful individual play from Crysencio Summerville saw him beat two players, as he came in off the left wing, before his shot took a wicked deflection to wrong-foot Guglielmo Vicario and hand West Ham a vital lead.
Tottenham’s Ben Davies, who got injured earlier in the move, was stretchered off immediately afterwards.
The hosts belatedly showed some attacking spirit, and only a sensational double save by Alphonse Areola from Wilson Odobert and Djed Spence kept his side ahead.
Mathys Tel then fizzed a shot wide, before another Summerville shot caused confusion and Jarrod Bowen fired home, only to have the effort ruled out for offside.
Soon after, Vicario clawed away a towering Konstantinos Mavropanos header, and the Hammers were still on the front foot at the end of eight minutes of stoppage time.
Thomas Frank’s side were much more attack-minded at the start of the second half, with Yves Bissouma testing Areola from distance, and Spence also going close.
By contrast, West Ham began to struggle to put passes together, and after Areola flew to his left to stop another goal-bound effort from Bissouma, he could do nothing about a bullet header from Cristian Romero as Tottenham finally got the goal their play deserved.
There was only one team in it from there, though West Ham still had something about them, and were it not for an incredible last-ditch tackle from Micky Van de Ven, Summerville would’ve had a second.
Areola played a key role too, as he kept out Xaxi Simons with the clock ticking down, before confusion from a stoppage time corner saw West Ham substitute, Callum Wilson, fire into the roof of the net.
The result marks Nuno Espirito Santo’s first away win (D4, L4), and it’s one that could breathe new life into the Hammers’ dwindling survival hopes, as they’ve moved to within four points of Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, Spurs could end the weekend as low as 15th, depending on events in Sunday’s South Coast derby between Bournemouth and Brighton.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Crysencio Summerville (West Ham)
