Any win at this stage of the season is very clearly a huge boost for West Ham United.
Furthermore, any victory against Tottenham is a reason for West Ham United fans to cheer.
A last-minute winner is always something to enjoy, too.
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you of West Ham staying up after they beat Spurs?
It's not over just yet 👀
Indeed, there were several reasons as to why West Ham’s 2-1 win over Spurs was particularly sweet.
Perhaps the biggest, however, is that it came without a certain Lucas Paqueta.
West Ham win without Lucas Paqueta for the first time this season
There have not been many victories to celebrate this season. Of the three prior to Saturday’s win in the Premier League, however, none came without having Paqueta in the side.
Paqueta wants to leave West Ham but has been criticised for his conduct.
There are ways to leave a football club of course and looking to jump ship halfway through a relegation battle is not one of them.
The saga threatened to become a distraction but, thankfully, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side managed to block out the noise.
If you could only keep ONE of these two players in January – who would it be?!
With Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek starring in central midfield and Crysencio Summerville taking on the creative burden, Paqueta was not missed whatsoever.
There’s little doubt that Paqueta is a match-winner on his day but fans just haven’t seen that often enough in what feels like an age now.
Though the sample size is obviously small, Fernandes, Soucek and Summerville certainly suggested they can offer what Paqueta is supposed to.
Lucas Paqueta edging closer to West Ham United exit
On Sunday, reports from Brazil suggested that Paqueta is closing in on a move to Flamengo.
If that really is the case, it feels like the best possible outcome.
West Ham have an important battle on their hands and that needs their full attention.
There is simply no room to deal with the Paqueta distraction. A fine player he might be, but having an unhappy one in the squad while the club are battling to beat the drop does not make much sense.
It could be an abrupt end to a West Ham career that promised so much but still feels relatively unfulfilled.
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