Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo has rejected suggestions his side lack creativity, despite failing to register a single shot in the second half of Sunday's 1-0 defeat at West Ham United. The loss, which came courtesy of Michail Antonio's 78th-minute strike, was Tottenham's fourth London derby defeat of the season.
Antonio's goal marked his sixth against Tottenham, more than any other club, and lifted West Ham above their rivals in the Premier League table. Spurs, who had rested their entire starting XI in the midweek Europa Conference League loss to Vitesse Arnhem, managed opportunities in the first half but faded after the break.
'It is always difficult when the team and all men are behind the ball; it is difficult to find spaces and gaps,' Nuno said, explaining the second-half struggle. When asked directly if his midfield lacked creativity, he replied: 'No. No, no, no. I think the team needs to be balanced. Besides being good players they give us the balance the team needs. And we have enough creativity with our full-backs, our attackers. I don't agree with you.'
West Ham manager David Moyes, meanwhile, celebrated his side's growing confidence. 'We are growing characters at the moment, over the last couple of years they have all blossomed,' Moyes said. 'The club is blossoming now and that comes from the players. Those players are all improving together and it is a good thing to have.'
The win was West Ham's first following a European midweek fixture this season, with five of the starting XI having played in Thursday's Europa League tie. Moyes added: 'We are still getting used to it, we are trying to find the right balance. We were up against a strong Tottenham team who had big threats and we found a way of winning it.'
