Tottenham analysis: Moussa Sissoko the London derby difference-maker in ugly win over West Ham

Tottenham secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over lowly London rivals West Ham thanks to Erik Lamela's fifth goal of the season.

The Argentine headed into the far corner of the net after good work by Moussa Sissoko from the right. West Ham went close twice in the second half through Marko Arnautovic, but was twice denied by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.

The win takes Tottenham up to provisional third place before Liverpool play Huddersfield.

Dan Kilpatrick analyses the key talking points from the London Stadium...

Spurs win ugly

Spurs are making winning ugly a habit. After unconvincing victories over Huddersfield and Cardiff, Spurs made it three on bounce at the London Stadium in another scratchy performance. They spent most of the second half hanging on after Erik Lamela's deft headed goal just before half-time, allowing Mauricio Pochettino to keep tired playmakers Christian Eriksen and Heung-min Son on the bench and play on the counterattack.

It was not pretty but it worked and Spurs moved level on points with Chelsea, despite having not played anything approaching their best so far this season. That can only be a good sign. True, Spurs will not be able to beat their next opponents in the league, Man City, while playing beneath themselves but it is often said that the sign of a great team is winning while playing poorly.

Spurs usually find their form and rhythm by November and December – but in the last couple of seasons they have always been too far behind the league leaders. If – and it's a big 'if', given their exertions at the World Cup – they can do the same this season, then they will be well-placed to challenge for a spot in the top three, if not better.

Sissoko makes the difference

It is not a massive stretch to say that Moussa Sissoko 44th-minute assist for Lamela was his finest contribution in a Spurs shirt. Certainly, this was one of his best performances for the club.

More than two years after his £30million arrival from Newcastle, Sissoko remains a much-maligned player, who is the butt of more jokes than anyone else at the club. Mostly, he looks out of his depth and out of sync with his teammates but he can be very effective – as he was in the Bernabeu in Spurs' 1-1 draw with Real Madrid last season and today.

In a sluggish first half, it was Sissoko who drove Spurs forward from midfield, starting and very nearly finishing the best move of the opening period when his first-time effort from Lucas Moura's pass was deflected over the bar. And then came his assist, a fine step inside a flat-footed Anderson onto his weaker left foot and a perfect cross for Lamela to nod home.

Sissoko is unlikely to ever be anything more than a squad player for Spurs but this performance has come at a good time. With Spurs' schedule about to go nuclear, the Frenchman will be an important player in the month ahead.

Lamela run continues

And what about the man who finished Sissoko's cross? Lamela is another £30m signing who has not always been convincing but here was more evidence that he has turned an important corner.

The Argentinian now has seven goals in his last nine appearances, as well as three assists this season. Lamela has always been good at the off-the-ball stuff – the sprinting, the harrying, the (late) tackling – but in the months since returning to fitness following a chronic hip problem, he has finally started to add a consistent end product on the biggest stage.

He has now scored as many league goals this season as he did in the previous two (admittedly, injury-ravaged) campaigns combined. Pochettino has said Spurs will have to manage Lamela carefully after the injury that sidelined him for 13 months, so he is unlikely to play every game over the next month. But, on this form, he should be save for the biggest ones. He is consistently making the difference.

Changing of the midfield guard

It is still too soon for definitive statements but you wonder if the midfield guard will soon be changing for good at Spurs

Harry Winks followed his impressive performance for England against Spain with another tidy display against a West Ham side who gave the 22-year-old far too much space, particularly in the first half. If he can stay fit Winks has a massive future for club and country as a deep-lying midfielder, such is his unusual skillset.

Mousa Dembele, a 75th-minute sub, is in the twilight of his career and increasingly slowed-down by injuries. The Belgian is also in the last year of his contract, which raises the possibility that Spurs could try to offload him for a nominal fee in January. With Eric Dier spending less time in defence, it would not be a surprise to see Dembele gradually faded out as the season progresses, with Winks increasingly prominent.

Lloris saves Spurs

The Tottenham captain has been under more scrutiny than ever this season following his drink-drive charge and rush of blood in the first 90 seconds of the Champions League defeat to Barcelona but he saved Spurs against the Hammers. The captain made three crucial, and excellent, stops after the break, thrice denying Marco Arnautovic, including a brave bock in stoppage-time.

If anyone doubted Lloris's commitment, quality and mindset, this performance was evidence that he remains one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League, who will win Spurs many more points than he will cost them. It is also vindication of Pochettino's treatment of Lloris after the manager resisted calls to strip him of the captaincy following his court appearance last month