Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff as Tottenham Hotspur host West Ham United at White Hart Lane. Both sides will be desperate to get one over on their London rivals, and there is also the small matter of European places still up for grabs for both sides. This fixture has brought plenty of drama in recent seasons, so hopefully we will see more of the same today. Let's start with a look at the hosts...

Spurs had something of an inauspicious start to life under Mauricio Pochettino, despite winning against West Ham in his first league match at the helm, but things have started to come together for the team in recent months. Results have wavered now and again since the turn of the year but, in general, their performances have been very impressive and they are right in the mix for a top-four finish along with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Southampton and Liverpool.

Indeed, United's defeat yesterday has opened up an opportunity for Spurs to move within one point of the top four and, with Southampton and Liverpool facing each other later today, at least one of their other rivals will also drop points this weekend. It is imperative, therefore, that Tottenham make the most of that and pick up a victory today. Whatever happens, they will not climb any positions in the table with three points due to their vastly inferior goal difference, but failure to win would give Liverpool the chance to leapfrog them in the table later.

This really is a pivotal three-game spell for Spurs, and it is no exaggeration to say that it could be the difference between a successful season and a disappointing one. Defeat today would leave them with an uphill task to get a top four place, while they are already battling against the odds in their Europa League last-32 tie with Fiorentina having conceded an away goal in a 1-1 draw in the first leg at White Hart Lane this week. The second leg of that comes on Thursday, while three days later they travel to Wembley to face Chelsea in the League Cup final. Three wins in a row and everything will be looking rosy for Spurs. Three defeats and it would be quite the opposite.

For now, though, Spurs can't afford to worry about their Europa League or League Cup exploits as West Ham will not give them an easy ride of things. Their 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in what was a thrilling game last week was a damaging one and, having moved above Arsenal in the table with victory in the recent North London derby, Spurs suddenly find themselves five points behind the Gunners going into this match. Looking a little further ahead than their next three games, this is the second of six games in 17 days, and how they handle such a congested run will be crucial to the success of their season.

They have been in decent form recently, however, with only two defeats in their last 11 Premier League games and one in their last five in all competitions. Perhaps most impressive has been their home form, where they have only lost one of their last 13 matches in all competitions, a run that stretches back to November 9. In the Premier League alone they are unbeaten in seven having lost four of their opening six home games, and that unbeaten run includes taking points off Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. They will feel that they can beat anyone here.

They haven't exactly been emphatic winners too often, though. There have been a couple of exceptions, but in general Spurs have scraped victories this season rather than blowing teams away. They have only won league three matches by more than one goal all season, while eight of their last 10 Premier League victories have been by a 2-1 scoreline, often coming from behind to get the result. Incidentally, Spurs have recovered 15 points from losing positions this season, and no team in the Premier League has managed more than that.

Pochettino's Spurs have developed something of a reputation for late goals too, and it is a fully deserved reputation. They have won 12 points from goals in the final five minutes of matches in the league this season, which is more than any other team in the top flight. Pochettino won't want his side to be in the situation where they need late goals to win it, however, and one of the ways to stop that is to tighten things up at the back. No team has conceded more goals in the top half than Spurs this season, while they have conceded 10 goals in six league games this calendar year, keeping only one clean sheet.

West Ham will be confident of causing their hosts problems, then, but they have issues of their own to sort out too. The Hammers' season is in danger of petering out as they continue to slowly slip down the table and away from the European places which they occupied for the vast majority of the first half of the campaign.

There have also been off-the-pitch reports that could have an impact this week, with Sam Allardyce's future coming under renewed speculation amid reports that he will not be offered a new contract at the end of the season. Allardyce was, by all accounts, a whisker away from leaving the club last summer as the owners looked for a more attractive style of football, but he has done a fine job so far this season and it would come as something of a surprise if he were pushed out of the club this year.

While West Ham have started to slip a little in recent weeks, it is worth remembering that they are still eighth having been tipped by many for a relegation battle, and victory today would move them back to within two points of Spurs. They have never had more points than their current tally of 38 at this stage of a Premier League season before, also reaching that total after 25 games in 1997-98 and 2005-06. They have not had more at this stage of a top-flight season since way back in 1985-86.

However, they are now winless in their last four games in all competitions and, while they have had a couple of tricky fixtures in that time, only one win in eight Premier League games is certainly a major downturn in results from earlier in the campaign. Allardyce's main problem could be that his side peaked early and raised expectations which, while setting them up for a higher finish than expected, could leave the club feeling underwhelmed with the end to the season.

Perhaps the lowest point of the season so far came last weekend as West Ham were dismantled by a struggling West Brom side, losing 4-0 to crash out of the FA Cup when there was a real chance for Allardyce's side to go far in the competition. It was a bit of an anomaly of a result for the Hammers, but they will certainly want a response this afternoon.

In fairness to West Ham, they are in the midst of a very tough run of fixtures. Their last three league games have seen them come up against Liverpool, Manchester United and Southampton, while this is the first of four consecutive London derbies for the club. After today's match, their next three come against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Of those, only the Arsenal game is away from home, which will come as a relief to a West Ham side that has only won one of their last eight away games in all competitions. That solitary victory came at League One Bristol City in the FA Cup too, while the Hammers have failed to even score in their last three. In the Premier League they have gone five games on the road without a win, scoring just once in their last four.

TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the headline news is that Christian Eriksen drops to the bench for Spurs as Pochettino looks to negotiate the congested run of fixtures facing his side. That is one of six changes to the side, which includes in-form striker Harry Kane returning up front. West Ham, meanwhile, make just the one change, with Winston Reid replacing Kevin Nolan and Kouyate moving back into midfield. Full teams for both sides coming right up...

SPURS STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason, Lamela, Dembele, Townsend; Kane

SPURS SUBS: Vorm, Davies, Dazio, Stambouli, Chadli, Eriksen, Soldado

WEST HAM STARTING XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell; Song, Noble, Kouyate, Downing; Sakho, Valencia

WEST HAM SUBS: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Collins, Nolan, Jarvis, Cole

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, it is a surprise to see Eriksen drop to the bench as he has been a key player for Spurs this season, but it is also easy to see why Pochettino has taken that decision. The Dane has played a lot of matches already this season and, while the race for the top four will be high on the list of priorities, Pochettino is right to consider the Europa League second leg and League Cup final next week. Dembele is the man to replace Eriksen in the side, while Lamela also returns as Chadli drops back to the bench.

Eriksen's absence piles even more of the goalscoring burden on the young shoulders of Harry Kane, but he hasn't shirked any challenges that have come his way so far. He was rested against Fiorentina on Thursday but returns to the team today looking to add to his 23-goal tally already this season. A dozen of those have come in the league - already more than last season's top scorer for Spurs Emmanuel Adebayor - while he has netted 11 in his last 10 league outings.

Ryan Mason returns in midfield to partner Bentaleb in what has become Pochettino's preferred pairing in the middle of the park this season. When on song, the duo can offer really good protection to the back four as well as provided some forward thrust from deeper positions, which often creates space for the likes of Lamela and Eriksen ahead of them to create. They will look to stunt the influence of Downing especially this afternoon.

Pochettino makes two further changes in defence, with Rse replacing Davies and Dier coming in for Fazio. Dier will have fond memories of the reverse fixture having scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute on the opening day of the season, which was also his debut for the club. He has been in and out of the team a bit since his impressive start, but for now looks like Pochettino's preferred Premier League choice ahead of Fazio to partner Vertonghen.

As for West Ham, Adrian continues in goal having seen his red card against Southampton rescinded by the FA, although he will be hoping for a better time than he had last time out when he picked the ball out of the back of his own net four times. He operates behind a defence that sees one change, with Reid returning from injury to replace Kouyate, who moves further upfield. Having had plenty of injury problems this season, Allardyce will be happed to see a recognisable back line with the likes of Demel, O'Brien and Collins all available from the bench too.

Kouyate, who scored a fine goal against Manchester United while filling in as a makeshift centre-back, returns to midfield, which sees Nolan drop to the bench. Song, Noble and Kouyate have forged a solid midfield partnership this season, and that base has allowed Downing to flourish further up the field. The former Liverpool winger has been enjoying some of the best form of his career and can operate at the tip of a diamond or pop up out wide on the left. Spurs will need to keep a close eye on him today.

His crosses will supply Sakho and Valencia, who formed such a deadly partnership earlier in the campaign. Carroll's absence until the end of the season is likely to mean that those two remain the first-choice duo now, despite the arrival of Nene on a free transfer. Both are very good in the air, which is part of the reason why West Ham have scored a league-high 14 headed goals this season. That accounts for 39% of their goals overall, which is also the highest figure in the division.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at White Hart Lane, which means that it is time for a prediction! West Ham will certainly be up for this one and will have fond memories of last season's trips to White Hart Lane, but Spurs have been impressive at home recently and I don't see them losing this game. A victory takes them to within one point of the top four and, while West Ham have held Manchester United and Southampton in their last two league games, I'm going to go for a home win by Tottenham's favourite scoreline, 2-1.

I mentioned West Ham's trips to White Hart Lane last season then, and Spurs may still be gunning for revenge having been thrashed 3-0 here by their London rivals in their last league meeting in North London. It was to get worse too as the Hammers visited again in December, knocking Spurs out of the League Cup. The Hammers went on to record three victories over Tottenham that season, something that would have hurt the Spurs fans.

That 3-0 win last season in their only league victory here since 1999, however. Spurs have won seven and drawn four of the 11 other meetings since then and overall boast the better recent record against the Hammers. However, West Ham would dearly love to make it three victories in a row in all competitions in Tottenham's own back yard.

It was Spurs who won the most recent meeting between the two sides, opening their Premier League campaign in dramatic fashion at Upton Park. Mauricio Pochettino's reign got off to a poor start when Kyle Naughton was sent off in the first half, but Tottenham hung on in there and the numbers were eventually levelled up when Collins was sent off for West Ham. Dier then popped up in the 93rd minute with a well-taken finish on his debut to break West Ham hearts.

The teams are out and we're just about ready to go here at White Hart Lane for a big London derby that could have a huge say on the top-four race. What can Spurs do with Liverpool and Southampton still to play later today?

KICKOFF: Spurs get us underway for a London derby that hopefully will provide as much drama as the last few have!

The first shot of the afternoon comes from West Ham, but I'll boldly predict that it will be the worst shot we see today. The ball sits up for Kouyate around 25 yards from goal and his volley would have cleared four goals on top of each other.

It has been a fairly scrappy opening five minutes, with Spurs seeing the majority of the ball but not able to make much ground with it.

SAVE! Spurs almost break the deadlock in style! Kane keeps the ball in and knocks it back to Townsend, who in turn plays it back to Bentaleb. The midfielder winds up his shot from 25 yards and it looks destined for the top corner, but Adrian makes a flying save to push it behind for a corner. Superb effort from Bentaleb.

SAVE! Again Bentaleb works a shooting opportunity from the resulting corner, moving the ball onto his right foot this time before drilling an effort towards goal. This one is a little easier for Adrian, though, and he gathers with minimum fuss.

Tomkins concedes a free kick in a dangerous position with a rash sliding challenge on Mason. Lamela and Kane are standing over the ball and it is the former who goes for goal, but it is an anti climax as his shot goes straight into the wall.

OFF THE POST! Spurs are the width of the post away from taking the lead! One ball over the top releases Kane, and the in-form striker finds himself clean through on goal. He doesn't quite catch his effort right, but it sneaks past Adrian before trickling against the post and going behind.

Spurs will be happy with the opening 13 minutes of this match. They have asked all of the questions in an attacking sense and are enjoying the lion's share of possession as well. West Ham are yet to really get settled in the game.

Crunching challenge on the halfway line between Cresswell and Walker, both of whom went into the 50-50 with everything they had. Both got a touch on the ball as well, and it is good to see neither making a meal of the inevitable heavy collision.

SHOT! This time Cresswell is involved in an attacking sense, but it is a disappointing effort from the summer signing. Noble plays the ball across to the left-back and he lets fly from 25 yards, but his dipping strike is never troubling Lloris as it goes a long way wide.

Almost a nervy moment for Lloris as he comes out for a ball after Sakho had flicked it over the head of Dier, only to completely miss it. He got away with it, but it wasn't entirely convincing from the Frenchman, who is usually so solid.

Scrappy period of the game as both sides conceded a number of sloppy free kicks. Jonathan Moss has kept his cards in his pocket so far, though.

First blood goes to West Ham, who had just been starting to ease their way into the match in the last few minutes. Cresswell does well down the left, making a good run to the byline before hanging the ball up in the middle. Kouyate attacks it and produces a thumping header in that Lloris can do nothing about.

Spurs looked to launch an immediate response and a corner causes all sorts of problems in the West Ham box. Jenkinson initially makes an important interception from a dangerous delivery, but he can't get it clear of danger. Bentaleb has one bite at the cherry before the ball drops for Vertonghen, who hammers a volley well over.

CHANCE! Kane almost turns provider here as he lifts a lovely pass over the defence for Rose, who has made a positive run forward. Adrian comes rushing out to meet the ball, but Rose gets there first and nods his effort narrowly over the crossbar.

SAVE! Again Cresswell causes problems down the left flank, making his way to the byline before putting a good cross into the middle. Valencia makes a nuisance of himself in the middle against Rose before spinning and getting to the rebound, but Lloris is right out in his face to smother the shot.

SHOT! Spurs go straight up at the other end and threaten an equaliser as the ball is worked over to Mason, who lines up a shot but drills his low strike wide of the far post.

West Ham have two players down here, with Kouyate and Sakho both needing treatment from the physios. They both appear to be in some discomfort, but should be fine to continue.

It has been a satisfactory opening 30 minutes or so for West Ham, who have probably been second best in terms of general play but are ahead thanks to Kouyate's goal. Here is the midfielder celebrating that thumping header:

A really poor period from both sides here as they misplace a number of passes and put themselves under unnecessary pressure. There have been a few scrappy moments in the match, but you'd expect that in a derby and overall it has been a good spectacle.

West Ham win a corner and, after playing it short, the ball eventually falls back to Noble, who has drifted into the box having initially taken the corner. The captain unleashes a powerful volley, but his strike is well blocked when it looked to be goalbound.

SHOT! Another long-range effort from Spurs, this time from Mason. He rushes his shot from almost 30 yards and drags it well wide as another promising attacking platform comes to nothing for the hosts.

Really good play from Valencia as he refuses to give up on what looked like a lost cause. He puts Walker under pressure as the right-back looked to shepherd it out of play and the West Ham man is rewarded with a corner.

This time Valencia looks to make more of a headline-grabbing contribution, spotting Lloris off his line and going for goal from inside his own half. He doesn't catch it right, however, and it is never in any danger of catching the Spurs keeper out.

Tottenham have a free kick in a good crossing position towards the end of this half, but the delivery is disappointing and comfortably dealt with. I wonder whether Pochettino is already thinking about introducing Eriksen here.

There will be a minimum of two minutes added time at the end of this first half.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match goes the way of Noble for a tug on the shirt of Townsend. It is a soft one considering some of the things that Jonathan Moss has let go so far.

The first half comes to an end at White Hart Lane and it is West Ham who go into the break with the lead over Tottenham in this London derby. There hasn't been a great deal to separate the two sides so far, with Spurs enjoying more of the possession but finding themselves behind at the interval.

The only goal of the game so far arrived midway through the first half as Kouyate, moved back into a midfield role today, opened the scoring with a thumping header. Credit must go to Cresswell down the left as the full-back got to the byline and provided a good cross for Kouyate, who did the rest with a really good headed finish.

Spurs almost broke the deadlock after just 11 minutes, however, when Kane raced through on goal following a ball over the top of the defence. The in-form striker didn't quite get as much as he would have liked on his finish, but it was enough to beat the keeper and his shot trickled onto the post.

Tottenham's next best chance saw Kane turn provider as he lifted the ball over the defence for Rose, who beat Adrian to the ball and nodded a header just over the crossbar. The West Ham keeper was a little rash coming off his line, but he got away with it as Rose's effort landed on the roof of the net.

As for West Ham, the only real opening that they have created aside from the goal came through another enterprising run and cross from Cresswell down the left. Valencia competed with Rose and reacted quickest to get to the loose ball inside the box, but Lloris was very quick off his line to thwart the West Ham striker.

Spurs have mostly been limited to long-range efforts today and, in truth, there have been one or two signs of tiredness creeping into their game. They haven't played with the same level of intensity that we have become used to seeing over the last few weeks, while they have been second best in midfield.

KICKOFF: West Ham get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that Spurs have made a change at the break. Christian Eriksen, who was something of a surprise exclusion from the starting lineup, replaces Dembele.

I said at the start of the first half that Kouyate's early effort would be the worst of the day, but I was wrong. The ball drops to Mason on the edge of the box from a corner, but his volley ends up over by the corner flag.

It is no surprise to see Eriksen introduced at half time, with the Dane possessing the necessary poise and guile to make an impact on this game. Noble, Song and Kouyate have won the midfield battle so far, but they will face a different test in the form of Eriksen now.

YELLOW CARD! Another harsh yellow card is shown to Cresswell for a shirt tug on Townsend, much like Noble's offence before half time.

A worry for West Ham here as Valencia goes down clutching his right knee after intercepting the ball. That looked to have just jarred his knee, and the striker should be able to continue.

Valencia is moving freely now as he races on to a lofted pass down the left flank. He cuts inside and a shot looks to have opened up for him briefly, but that is quickly shut down and his effort is blocked.

SAVE! Another long-range effort from Mason, but it is a simple one for Adrian to deal with. Townsend created the shooting opportunity, cutting back and playing the ball back to the young midfielder, who opened his body and curled a left-footed strike towards goal. He is aiming to curl it into the corner, but it is straight at the keeper.

West Ham are looking sufficiently dangerous when they come forward to suggest that they are capable of getting a second goal here. That could well kill Spurs off, but as long as it remains 1-0, the hosts will feel that they are still very much in the game. They have come from behind plenty of times already this season, after all.

CHANCE! Huge chance for West Ham to get that second goal! Noble threads the ball through for Sakho, who beats the offside trap and finds himself with only Lloris to beat. He opts against sliding a square ball across for Valencia to have a tap-in, instead going for the near post. Lloris has his angles right, though, and makes the save.

SPURS SUB: A second change for Spurs as Roberto Soldado, who scored on Thursday, replaces Townsend.

Positive play from Walker, which we haven't seen enough of today. He advances down the right before firing a low effort a few yards wide of the far post. It was somewhere between a shot and a cross, but ultimately came to nothing.

West Ham have doubled their lead here at White Hart Lane! Sakho plays a really good ball into a dangerous position initially, but Valencia can't make anything of it. Noble collects it at the back post and hangs a cross of his own towards the back post that is just too high for Valencia. Sakho is arriving behind him, however, and somehow squeezes the ball past Lloris from an impossible angle. Great finish.

Noble slides in on Bentaleb and is a little fortunate not to receive a second yellow card for a challenge that was probably more worthy of a booking than his first. Vertonghen weighs in and pushes the West Ham skipper, but the Tottenham man also escapes.

CHANCE! Oh my word, West Ham should be three up! A free kick is floated to the back post, where Reid nods it down into a dangerous area. Valencia nips in and turns it towards goal from close range, but Lloris is there to make a very important stop. How big could that prove to be?

WEST HAM SUB: Having just escaped a second yellow card, Noble is taken off by Allardyce for Carlton Cole. Noble isn't too pleased about it, but you can see why Allardyce has made that change.

Spurs have 20 minutes to get themselves back into the match. A goal in the next 10 minutes or so would make things interesting but, in truth, they haven't looked like scoring yet in this second half. You can never count Spurs out this season, though.

SHOT! Yet again Spurs are forced into a shot from outside the area, but it is another one that Adrian has covered. Bentaleb is the man to go for goal, dragging a tame effort wide of the post.

WEST HAM SUB: Another change for the hosts as Matt Jarvis replaces Valencia for the final 15 minutes.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Spurs have the ball in the back of the net, but it is disallowed for offside! Lamela's original shot was deflected and the ball looped over for Kane, who first shot from close range was brilliantly saved by Adrian. Kane volleys home the rebound, but the linesman's flag is rightly raised for offside from Lamela's initial shot.

SAVE! Eriksen is such a danger from set pieces and his almost squeezes another one in here, curling his shot over the wall and getting it down towards the bottom corner. It took a slight deflection off the wall on the way through, but Adrian gets down well to make a good save.

Kane has barely got a sniff today, while Soldado has been virtually anonymous during his time on the field. The visitors have defended very well so far.

SPURS SUB: A third and final change for the hosts as Nacer Chadli replaces Mason for the final 10 minutes.

Spurs are right back in this match, and it is a strange goal for the hosts! Lamela swings a testing ball into the box that Adrian can only punch as far as Rose. The full-back doesn't catch his volley right, blasting it into the ground, but it catches Adrian out. The keeper misjudges it and it bounces past him and into the net! Game on now.

As you would expect, Tottenham are piling the pressure on looking for an equaliser now. They have been the late goal specialists so far this season and, while they have been far short of their best today, you wouldn't bet against them getting an equaliser here.

SAVE! Soldado almost makes himself the hero, but he is denied by compatriot Adrian! Lamela lifted the ball over to the left side of the box and Soldado slams his volley across goal, but the West Ham keeper reacts really well to make an important stop.

Carlton Cole has been down for a while now, and he looks to have pulled his hamstring. Neither side kicks the ball out, however, and it is a while before the striker is able to receive any treatment.

WEST HAM SUB: Cole is unable to continue and he makes way to be replaced by Collins, who was sent off in the reverse fixture earlier this season.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Spurs to get the equaliser as Eriksen swings a dangerous corner into the middle. Vertonghen climbs highest but can only flick his header over the crossbar under pressure from Tomkins.

There will be FIVE minutes of added time at the end of this match. Still time for the hosts to get another late goal!

Sakho is still chasing every ball towards the corner, and his busy nature has been important for West Ham today and in recent weeks. He is helping to defend from the front, but Spurs are still applying the pressure in these closing stages.

Eriksen has been responsible for so many late goals this season, but he won't get one with an effort like this. Walker bursts down the right and cuts the ball back for the Dane, who goes for a very ambitious effort instead of helping it into the box with a number of white shirts waiting for the cross.

Incredible end to this match as Kane rescues a point for his side right at the death! The striker wins the penalty for his side, going down under a clumsy challenge from Song. There wasn't a great deal of contact, but the West Ham midfielder did come in from the wrong side. Kane steps up to take the spot kick himself and sees his 12-yard effort well saved by Adrian, but the rebound bounces straight back to him and he tucks away the rebound.

What a dramatic end to this match that was! Spurs score twice in the final 10 minutes to rescue a point in this London derby, while West Ham will be reflecting on two points dropped having led by two until late. Kouyate opened the scoring midway through the first half, while Diafra Sakho added a second for the visitors after the break. However, a bizarre Rose strike gave Spurs a lifeline, and Kane struck deep into stoppage time to earn a share of the spoils.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for another dramatic London derby between Tottenham and West Ham as Spurs once again leave it late to earn something from the game. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!