LONDON, 5 March 2007 — Bottom club West Ham United’s season took a bitter new twist yesterday when they twice squandered the lead and lost 4-3 at home to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a dramatic Premier League game.
Substitute Paul Stalteri scored the Tottenham winner deep in stoppage time after Tottenham had battled back from trailing 2-0 at halftime and then 3-2 with five minutes remaining.
West Ham’s fifth league defeat in a row left them 10 points short of safety with just nine games remaining and manager Alan Curbishley admitting time is running out.
“What is happening is everything that can go wrong is going wrong,” Curbishley, who has not enjoyed a league victory since a 1-0 defeat of leaders Manchester United on Dec. 17, told Sky Sports. “We need some three-pointers to give everyone a lift.
“We’ve got nine games left and if we put in that work rate we may get the wins we need, but it’s looking tough now.” West Ham had looked on course for a morale-boosting victory after a tough week when Mark Noble smashed in a 16th minute opener and then Argentine Carlos Tevez beat England goalkeeper Paul Robinson with a dipping free kick after 41 minutes.
Earlier, Blackburn Rovers beat north west rivals Bolton Wanderers 2-1 thanks to two second-half penalties from South African Benni McCarthy. Nicolas Anelka grabbed a late consolation for Bolton who are in fifth with Blackburn in 10th.
Manchester United, 1-0 winners at Liverpool on Saturday, top the table, nine points ahead of Chelsea who won 2-0 at Portsmouth. Chelsea have a game in hand.
Nantes Ease Relegation Fears
With 2-1 Win at Sochaux
In Paris, Nantes eased their relegation fears when they snatched a 2-1 victory at Sochaux in Ligue 1 yesterday.
Nantes, who have never been relegated since joining the elite in 1963, remain second from bottom with 26 points from 27 matches but are now three points from safety. The visitors went ahead on 23 minutes when 19-year-old striker Dimitri Payet beat keeper Teddy Richert with a powerful shot from just outside the box.
Sochaux, who dropped to fifth on 40 points, levelled 11 minutes later when Brazilian forward Alvaro Santos converted from the spot following a foul by Mauro Cetto on Mickael Isabey. Six minutes into the second half, Romanian striker Claudiu Keseru netted his third goal in five league matches when he doubled the tally from close range.
Real Madrid Held 1-1
at Home by Getafe
In Madrid, Real Madrid lost ground in the Primera Liga title race when they could only draw 1-1 at home with local rivals Getafe in the Bernabeu yesterday.
The visitors dominated early on and took the lead with a well-taken goal from Daniel Guiza in the 38th minute, but they only held the lead until just before the break when Ruud van Nistelrooy scored from the penalty spot. It was one-way traffic in the second half but Real failed to press home their dominance. They have won only one of their last five home games.
Earlier, Real Zaragoza came from behind to beat struggling Real Sociedad 3-2 at home to climb to fifth on 42. The Basque side, who have not won away all season, took the lead through German Herrera early on, but Zaragoza staged a second-half fightback.
Mainz Winning Streak
Ends at Aachen
In Berlin, Mainz’s six-match unbeaten streak came to an end yesterday when Alemannia Aachen scored two quick goals right after halftime for a 2-1 victory over the Bundesliga’s hottest team in 2007.
Mainz had climbed from the bottom to 10th place with five wins and a draw since the season resumed after the winter break but Sunday’s away defeat sent them back toward the relegation zone at 14th, just one point from safety.
They were leading 1-0 thanks to a 14th minute goal from Mohamed Zidan. But Jan Schlaudraff got the equalizer two minutes after the restart, breaking away from his marker to tap in a free kick, and Vedad Ibisevic did the same two minutes later.
On Saturday, the top of the table tightened with Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen winning while leaders Schalke 04 and VfB Stuttgart both lost. Schalke lead with 49 points, Werder are second on 46, Stuttgart have 45 and Bayern 43.
In a mid-table clash yesterday , Energie Cottbus won 3-2 away to Borussia Dortmund.
