Postecoglou praises much-changed Tottenham for battling draw at West Ham

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou praised his much-changed side for earning a point at West Ham United as they drew 1-1.

Postecoglou made eight changes from the side that defeated Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in the first-leg of their Europa League semi-final, with only Guglielmo Vicario, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison retained.

They took the lead early on as Mathys Tel set up Wilson Odobert to score after a defensive lapse from Max Kilman but were pegged backed by Jarrod Bowen’s goal before the end of the first half.

Despite Tottenham failing to win in the league once more, Postecoglou commended his side for being competitive despite the raft of changes.

“It’s not easy making seven or eight changes," the Australian told BBC Sport.

That's going to affect the fluency and cohesion. But for the most part they stuck to their task really well.

"Away from home in a derby and I thought the lads stuck to their task. We didn't win but at least we got a result that rewards their efforts.

“I can only praise the effort of my boys."

Postecoglou underlined the need for wholescale changes with Spurs in touching distance of a European final amid their domestic struggles.

"It's something we've been doing for a while because we've had to. We've had a wretched run with injuries – which still hasn't eased up, to be fair. But with the opportunity we've got before us [in the Europa League], it made sense."

West Ham head coach Graham Potter was satisfied with his side’s display despite going eight games without a win for the first time since the end of 2017.

Potter believed that West Ham were superior in all departments in the first half but was disappointed they couldn’t preserve that level for the entirety of the 90 minutes.

He said to BBC Sport: "It was a decent performance from us. The first half was especially strong.

"We started on the front foot and were very positive, pressed well, pressed high. It was a derby so we wanted to make it that way. A lot of what did in the first half was positive.

"I’m disappointed in the second half because we weren't able to sustain that level of performance.”