Obiang, Son net scorchers as Spurs draw with West Ham

Good as Son’s long-range swerving effort seven minutes from time was, it was still only the second-best goal of the night after Pedro Obiang’s 70th-minute screamer put West Ham within sight of a smash-and-grab raid.

Tottenham, bidding to become the only top-flight club to take 12 points from the hectic holiday programme and close on the Premier League’s top four, spent all night trying to pick a way through the claret and blue barricade in front of it.

It ended the contest with 31 attempts to West Ham’s three but was staring a costly defeat in the face when Obiang scored with the visitors’ first attempt on goal.

On a rare foray forward the midfielder found himself in space and belted a right-foot shoot that left Spurs keeper clawing at thin air as the ball whistled into the top corner.

Tottenham poured forward in a desperate search to salvage something and Son delivered when he lashed a 25-metre effort past Adrian to finally puncture West Ham’s resistance.

“Today we had 31 attempts and we needed an amazing goal from Son (to get a point),” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

“But that is football. We deserved the three points but we have to be happy because when you concede a goal to their first chance it can be complicated. We had to keep calm.”

West Ham manager David Moyes said he was left in “disbelief” when Obiang produced his scorcher that looked likely to give his side a vital victory in its battle to pull clear of danger.

“I‘m thrilled to come away with a point, Tottenham has some really exciting young talent, I have seen it beat Real Madrid here, beat teams by four or five,” Moyes said.