West Ham United came from a goal down to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at White Hart Lane this evening, moving into the semi-finals of the League Cup in the process.
Spurs dominated large spells of the first half but were forced to wait until the 67th minute to break the deadlock as Emmanuel Adebayor volleyed the hosts ahead.
West Ham fought their way back into the match, however, and secured a famous victory with two goals in the last 10 minutes from Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga.
You can read how an action-packed night of football unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage below.
Right, that's all we have time for this evening. Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was a thrilling League Cup clash between Tottenham and West Ham. It is the Hammers who go into the pot for the semi-final thanks to two goals in the last 10 minutes that gave them a 2-1 victory. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction and analysis, which will be on the site shortly. Until then, though, it is goodbye from me!
As for Tottenham, their troubles continue to mount as they slip to a second consecutive home defeat. If this was Tim Sherwood's audition for the job on a full-time basis then he won't be happy with how it has gone. His side could have almost killed the game off as a contest inside the opening 15 minutes, but they were wasteful in front of goal and that ultimately proved to be their downfall this evening.
The referee's final whistle sparks wild celebrations from the West Ham players and fans. They have pulled off an incredible comeback victory to beat Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane, moving into the last four of the League Cup in the process. They were on the back foot for large spells of the game but rallied in the final 20 minutes to pull off a famous victory - their second at White Hart Lane already this season.
OFF THE BAR! West Ham break free from a corner and have three men bearing down on goal without a single white shirt in their way. They allow the Spurs defence to get back, but the chance isn't completely gone as it falls to Maiga, who smashes it against the bar from 25 yards with a thunderous effort.
Spurs have not been able to cope with West Ham's big striker all day. Again Maiga wins the first ball, flicking it on for Diame to run on to. He does reach it, but his first-time shot from an impossible angle only finds the side netting.
SAVE! Big save from Adrian as he gets down well to deny Dembele's low drive from the edge of the area. He couldn't palm it to safety, but luckily for him Rat was in closest attendance and completed the clearance.
A wave of optimism ripples around White Hart Lane as the fourth official indicates a minimum of five minutes added time at the end of this match. Still time for more drama here!
UPDATE: Meanwhile, in Stoke, Manchester United look to have booked their place in the last four as Patrice Evra has given them a 2-0 lead at the Britannia.
Spurs certainly have their urgency back now. They have just two minutes of added time to get a goal back or they will be eliminated from the League Cup and fall to consecutive home defeats at the hands of West Ham for the first time since the 1960s.
Oh my word, West Ham have taken the lead! Morrison works the ball out to Diame on the right and his first cross is poor. He gets a second chance, however, and this time digs out a much better cross, right onto the head of Maiga who glances it into the bottom corner. The comeback is complete!
CHANCE! Big chance for the hosts to regain the lead. Defoe slips the ball into Chadli and the sub appears to only have Adrian to beat. However, O'Brien comes diving in from behind to make a superb challenge, deflecting the ball back onto Chadli and into the arms of the keeper.
West Ham have created more chances in the last 10 minutes than the had in the previous 70, so that equaliser was by no means against the run of play. However, over the course of the whole game they are fairly fortunate to be level here.
Having been on the back foot for much of the match, West Ham are level! Maiga wins yet another header, flicking it on to Taylor inside the box. He delays his pass before playing it inside the full-back for Jarvis to run on to, and the winger smashes his shot past Lloris. Game on!
WEST HAM SUB: The visitors also make a change as Ravel Morrison comes on for Diarra. You may remember that Morrison scored a fine solo effort in the Premier League meeting between these two in October.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs make their final change of the night as Adebayor is replaced by Lewis Holtby. As things stand, Adebayor has scored the winner on his return to starting lineup, and what a goal it was.
SAVE! Maiga is doing a very similar job to the one Carlton Cole has been doing all evening. He wins a header to flick it on for Taylor, who runs beyond the last defender before drawing a decent stop from Lloris from a tight angle.
UPDATE: Manchester United have taken the lead at the Britannia through an Ashley Young strike. It is now 1-0 to David Moyes's side, but remember that match is behind ours due to an interruption of play in the first half.
SAVE! That is poor from Spurs as two defenders get in each other's way, gifting the ball to West Ham in a dangerous area. It falls to Taylor, who smashes a peach of an effort towards the far corner that Lloris is at full stretch to palm away. Great strike.
That is certainly not what Tottenham want to see at this time. Townsend pulls up while producing a flurry of stepovers and immediately falls to the floor. That looks like a pulled hamstring at least, which means a couple of weeks out for the winger.
SAVE! Almost an immediate impact from Diame. Maiga wins a header in the box and the ball drops kindly for the man who has only just come on as a sub. He volleys it towards goal but Lloris gets down really well to his right to parry the ball away.
WEST HAM SUB: Allardyce responds to going behind with a change as Mohamed Diame comes on in place of Joe Cole, who has struggled to make an impact today.
Spurs finally have the lead, and it is a spectacular finish from Adebayor. The hosts break quickly from a West Ham corner, with Defoe leading the charge. He makes it to the byline before clipping a cross over to the back post. Adebayor is running in and connects with a perfect volley on the move to smash it past a helpless Adrian. That is a cracking finish from the forgotten man at White Hart Lane.
WEST HAM SUB: The visitors make their first change of the match and it is an interesting one as Carlton Cole, who has caused problems for the Tottenham defence, makes way for Modibo Maiga.
Spurs almost bundle their way through on the edge of the area, but Adebayor, who took the ball off the toes of Sigurdsson on the edge of the box, can only win a corner for his side.
Tottenham's other full-back Kyle Walker lines up a free kick from at least 35 yards, but his ambition is not matches by his ability on this occasions as he hammers it well over the crossbar.
TOTTENHAM SUB: The first change of the day sees Danny Rose make way for Zeki Fryers. That is a straight swap at full-back for the hosts.
Cole does really well down the left channel as he shrugs off Capoue to move into a promising position. He is all on his own against two Tottenham defenders, however, and eventually loses the ball to Lloris.
Matt Taylor swings a free kick towards the back post but it is too far in front of his teammates, even accounting for O'Brien's desperate lunge for the ball. The visitors need to make the most of those set pieces as it is their most likely source of a goal in this match.
Townsend looks for a way around the defence on the left but is forced to cut back inside and give the ball to Dembele, who in turns squares it for Rose. The full-back lines himself up to shoot from range but balloons his effort well over the bar.
SAVE! Wow, that would have been incredibly controversial! The referee blows for a stoppage to allow a West Ham player to receive treatment so, by the unwritten rules of fair play, Collins should give the ball back to the hosts. He does so, but puts too much on his kick and very nearly lobs Lloris from 60 yards. The French keeper scrambles back to keep it out, and Collins runs off chuckling to himself as the Spurs players look round in disbelief.
Pinball inside the West Ham box and Spurs once again fail to get through. Walker burst forward from defence but scuffed his shot into Defoe. The ball bounced out to Lennon, who picked out Sigurdsson inside the box, but the Icelandic midfielder's shot was blocked.
The corner is swung into the middle but it is far too easy for Adrian to come and collect. He was right in the centre of his goal there, outside his six yard box, and there wasn't a single white shirt within a couple of yards.
CLOSE! A cross into the box eventually falls to Lennon at the back post. Rat looks to have the situation under control but Lennon squeezes it through the defender's legs and just wide of the post. It took a deflection on the way through, so Spurs will have a corner.
Townsend tries to swing a ball into the box but completely scuffs his effort, sending it along the floor on the edge of the area. Even so, Adebayor gets a touch to it to send it back outside the box, but there isn't a white shirt running on to it for what would have been a very inviting chance.
KICKOFF: Tottenham get us back underway for the second half of this match. Will they break the deadlock in the coming 45 minutes or will we go to extra time?
As for Allardyce, he will want more support around Carlton Cole. The big striker is the only one who has looked like causing Tottenham problems so far, winning pretty much every header against the Tottenham defence.
Back to matters at White Hart Lane, and Sherwood's number one priority for the second half will be to get his side using their possession more effectively. They enjoyed 72% of the ball in the opening 45 minutes but Adrian was never forced to make anything other than routine saves. Even with two strikers up front, Spurs are struggling to find the back of the net.
UPDATE: It is finally half time at the Britannia, where Stoke and Man Utd were taken off midway through the first half due to a torrential hailstorm. It is still goalless in that match too.
As for West Ham, they will be pretty happy at having reached the break still level. They were completely and utterly dominated in the first 15 minutes and, while they did stem the tide a bit as the half wore on, there was never a point where the Hammers were on top in that first half.
Townsend and Adebayor also came close in the opening exchanges as Tottenham began the match very positively. It will good, attractive football to watch, which is something the fans haven't been treated to much this season. However, it soon fell into a familiar routine as West Ham got back into the game and Spurs suddenly struggled to break the visitors' defence down.
Defoe had the first, and best, chance of the half after just 90 seconds when he fired a snapshot just wide following Sigurdsson's blocked shot. It was the type of chance that Defoe has made a career out of scoring, so it was a surprise not to see the net ripple for the striker against his former club.
The referee brings an end to a frustrating first half for Tottenham as they go into the break against West Ham goalless despite dominating for much of the half. Tim Sherwood's side began very brightly and had a number of chances early on but couldn't make the most of them and West Ham soon began to ease their way into the match.
Spurs have gone off the boil in the second half of this opening 45 minutes having made a blistering start. Perhaps Tim Sherwood is beginning to understand some of the frustrations that Villas-Boas went through during his time in charge?
Another good move from Spurs as Adebayor plays a one-two to race into the box. Diarra is playing catch-up with the Tottenham striker does really well to get back and poke the ball behind for a corner with Adebayor just about to pull the trigger.
Tottenham patiently work the ball down the right flank and Walker takes his time to beat Rat and pick out Adebayor with an accurate pass into the box. Adebayor goes for a first-time effort, but blazes his shot well over the bar. That one might have even gone out of the stadium.
UPDATE: The players are back on the field at the Britannia after play was briefly stopped due to torrential hail. It looks like that one will get back underway very shortly.
SAVE! At the other end, Lloris make his first stop of the day but it too is a comfortable one. Again Cole wins the first header from a long goal kick and his flick bounces back off a Tottenham defender to the West Ham striker. He shoots first time but doesn't catch hold of it properly, allowing Lloris to get down and make an easy stop.
SAVE! Spurs finally get one of their shots on target as Defoe picks up the ball with his back to goal before shooting on the turn from 25 yards. His strike goes straight at Adrian, however, who holds on to it comfortably.
YELLOW CARD! The first card of the game goes to Adebayor, and it is a harsh one. He just eased Collison of the ball and, while it may have been a foul, it certainly didn't deserve a booking. Perhaps Adebayor said something out of place to Neil Swarbrick.
UPDATE: Incredible scenes at the Britannia Stadium as Mark Clattenburg has called the players off the field due to terrible weather conditions. It looks to be just a temporary fix, but it really is tipping it down in Stoke.
The West Ham fans are in very good voice and have been all night. Even having watched their side be dominated in the opening half an hour, the away support are determined to make the most of this big London derby.
Another long ball from a free kick causes Spurs problems, with Carlton Cole yet again winning his header. Eventually Taylor's cross is collected by Lloris, but that long ball looks to be West Ham best chance of creating anything in this match.
Lloris comes to claim a long free kick into the Tottenham box and he spills the ball under the challenge of Carlton Cole. As is usually the case in such situations, the keeper gets the free kick, but he is very fortunate to do so as there didn't appear to be much wrong with that.
All of this possession is nice to watch from a neutral's point of view, but Spurs need to start using better. They have had a number of chances and have come close on a couple of occasions, but Adrian is still yet to make a save in this match.
The change of formation from Sherwood has certainly made a difference to Spurs. Whereas under Villas-Boas they looked slow and toothless in attack, here it seems like it is only a matter of time before they break the deadlock. The players are playing with much more freedom and attacking intent than they were under the previous manager.
Really good defending from James Collins as he manages to get just in front of Adebayor to clear a very dangerous Lennon cross. This is one way traffic at the moment.
Sigurdsson plays a lovely ball over the top of the defence for Defoe to run on to. The clinical striker decides to take the shot first time on the half volley from a very tight angle and he smashes it high and wide of the near post.
It is all Tottenham at the moment. They have dominated the opening exchanges with West Ham unable to keep hold of the ball for any substantial length of time. They have been forced into long and aimless clearances that Carlton Cole can make nothing of up front on his own.
Adebayor holds the ball up well and tried a powerful shot on the turn, but it is well blocked by the West Ham defence. That was an important interception as Adebayor's shot was travelling then.
Good football from Spurs as Adebayor slips Townsend in down the left channel. Townsend hears the shout from Adebayor for the return pass and duly obliges, but he can't find the striker as the West Ham defences gets back in time.
CLOSE! Spurs come close again as Townsend runs out to the left before standing the ball up in the middle of the area. Adebayor rises highest and sends a looping header just past the post with Adrian scrambling.
Carlton Cole is causing problems with his aerial dominance at the moment. He has won all of his headers so far, flicking on Adrian's long kicks forward. They haven't created anything yet, but it is a dangerous avenue that Spurs will need to address.
CLOSE! O'Brien will be breathing a big sigh of relief right now! Lennon sends a good ball into the box that O'Brien has to deal with one way or the other. He decides to take the 'safe' option and nod it behind for a corner, but very nearly picks out the bottom corner of his own net.
A long kick forward from the keeper is well knocked down by Carlton Cole for Jarvis, who decides to shoot from 30 yards out. He gets right under the ball and sends it a long, long way over the bar. Cue the apologetic hands up to his teammates who wanted the pass.
SHOT! Townsend picks the ball up on the halfway line and immediately looks to run at the defence, as he always does. He cuts inside onto his left foot before firing a low shot a couple of yards wide.
That is a very bright start for Tottenham, though, and West Ham need to make sure that they don't let the hosts take control early here. If they do, the lack of confidence in the side could make way for unbridled optimism in a new era.
CHANCE! What a chance for Tottenham to make a perfect start to the match! Lennon shows blistering pace down the right to beat Rat before pulling it back to Sigurdsson, whose shot is well blocked. The ball falls to the feet of Defoe, who is presented with the type of chance he usually thrives upon, but this time he flashes a shot just past the post. He should have scored.
KICKOFF: West Ham get the post-Andre Villas-Boas era underway at White Hart Lane. This promises to be a very interesting match between two teams struggling to find their best form at the moment. Let's hope it's an entertaining one too.
Sunderland and Manchester City both progressed to the semi-finals last night, and there are another two quarters taking place tonight. In addition to this match, Stoke City and also hosting Manchester United in the day's other match, which you can follow with us live by clicking here. I will also be keeping you up to date with any major events that happen in that game.
West Ham, meanwhile, have never won the trophy despite reaching the final twice. In 1966 they were beaten in the two-legged final by West Brom, while Liverpool beat them 2-1 in the 1981 final as the Reds began a run of four successive League Cup crowns. The Hammers did reach the last four as recently as 2011, however, losing to eventual winners Birmingham in the semis.
Spurs have gone all the way to win the competition on four occasions, the most recent of which came when Jonathan Woodgate headed them to glory in 2008. They have also picked up the trophy in 1971, 1978 and 1999.
Spurs have an impressive pedigree in this tournament having reached the quarter-finals 22 times now. That is a tally only their North London rivals Arsenal can better in the history of the League Cup, with the Gunners making it into the last eight 25 times.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at White Hart Lane, which means that it is time for my prediction! This is a very intriguing match as two team bereft of confidence square off against each other. Any side with a new manager is something of an unknown quantity, and usually I'd say that Spurs would win this no contest. However, West Ham proved that they can win here in October with that fabulous 3-0 victory. I still think Spurs will go through to the last four, but it won't be easy. I'll go for a 2-0 home win.
Interestingly, for a team renowned for drawing a lot of games, West Ham have not been forced to penalties in any of their last 30 League Cup matches. In that time they have won 19 times and lost 11. A reminder that, should the 90 minutes end level this evening, we will go straight to extra time and then to penalties if necessary. There are no replays in the League Cup.
Allardyce has left his big guns on the bench, which suggests that he is willing to go for the win if his side are still in this match in the closing stages. The likes of Ravel Morrison can change a game, but Allardyce evidently thought that tonight's game wasn't worth risking him in. The same goes for Jaaskelainen, Diame and Demel, all of whom you would expect to start if West Ham had named a full-strength lineup tonight.
The Hammers have sometimes played without an orthodox striker this season, which will surely have Carlton Cole fired up and ready to prove that having him up front is better than having no-one up front. He will get his chance to prove exactly that this evening as he looks to bully an unfamiliar Tottenham defence. On the flanks, he will have Joe Cole and Matt Jarvis, so the service should be fairly reliable.
As for West Ham, eight changes from Sam Allardyce tells us all we need to know about his priorities this season - Premier League survival. He was always going to be without captain Kevin Nolan, who will serve the second of his three match ban having been sent off against Liverpool, while the injury list at the club includes the likes of Carroll, Downing, Vaz Te, Reid and Petric. Tomkins was also a doubt for the match, so it is no surprise to see him not being risked this evening.
The biggest change is the switch to two strikers, which should open up more opportunities for the likes of Defoe and Adebayor, the latter of which had become something of a forgotten man at White Hart Lane. There were rumours circulating that Villas-Boas's refusal to recall Adebayor into the side were another reason for his departure, so perhaps it isn't surprising to see him named in the starting XI today.
In midfield Sherwood has opted for an interesting mix of solid buy dynamic players in Dembele and Sigurdsson alongside two out-and-out wingers who will take every opportunity to run at the West Ham full-backs. It will be interesting to see how Lennon and Townsend co-exist as they are both used to playing on that right wing and could be competing for a World Cup spot there by the end of this season.
What can we make of those two sides then? Well, Sherwood's hand was forced in a couple of ways naming this team. He is without the suspended Michael Dawson, who picked up a fifth yellow against Liverpool and Paulinho, who was shown a straight red in the same match, so Vlad Chiriches is forced into an earlier return from injury than he might otherwise have had. Interestingly, he is joined in defence by Capoue, who we're more accustomed to seeing in a midfield role. That could be a potential weak spot for West Ham to take advantage of.
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Adrian; Rat, O'Brien, Collins, McCartney; Diarra, Taylor, Collison; J.Cole, C.Cole, Jarvis
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Chiriches, Capoue, Rose; Lennon, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Townsend; Adebayor, Defoe
TEAM NEWS: The team news is in for both sides, and the major headlines unsurprisingly come from the Tottenham camp. Caretaker manager Tim Sherwood has opted for a change of formation, playing both Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe up front. Overall, he has made six changes to the side that lost to Liverpool. West Ham, meanwhile, make eight changes with only George McCartney, Joe Cole and Matt Jarvis retaining their places.
Their away form this season hasn't been great to say the least. They have lost their last three on their travels and have only won two away games all season - against Burnley in the last round of this competition and that win over Spurs. They will certainly fancy their chances of finding the back of the net this evening having not failed to score in their last 14 League Cup matches and in 20 of their last 21.
Worryingly for West Ham, they have only won once in all competitions since that Burnley win, which came seven matches ago. Looking at just their league form, they have only won one of their last nine games, since their last visit here when they came away with that incredible 3-0 victory. That win ended a run of 12 straight league games without a win at White Hart Lane, stretching back to 1999, so any psychological barriers they might have had at this ground are surely now gone.
Sam Allardyce's men have had a longer trip here than their opponents tonight. They entered at the second round, beating Cheltenham 2-1 to set up a third round match against Cardiff, who they dispatched 3-2. In the last round they came up against Championship high-flyer Burnleys, this time running out 2-0 victors.
They have only found the net once in their last three matches, but at the other end of the field it is a different story. Their defence has conceded just 19 goals in the league this season, which is the joint-best tally in the bottom half of the table. Even more impressively, only Southampton outside the top five can better West Ham's defensive record in the league. It's pretty obvious where their main problems lie!
Allardyce will no doubt have the league as his priority, but a cup success for a side like West Ham could work wonders. Whatever he does - in the league and the cup - he needs to find a more regular source of goals for his side. Only three teams - Cardiff, Crystal Palace and Sunderland - have scored fewer than West Ham's 13 goals so far this season. Even Tottenham have scored more!
While Spurs will still be reeling from their turbulent last few days, West Ham are understandably not full of confidence themselves at the moment. The Hammers sit in 17th place in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone after a run of three matches without a win. Things are getting nervy for Sam Allardyce, who could find himself going the same way as Villas-Boas if things carry on like they are.
Their record at White Hart Lane in this competition is much better, however. They have only lost one of their last 19 home League Cup matches here, with that solitary defeat coming against an Arsenal side that went on to reach the final in 2010-11. Of rather more concern for Spurs is the fact that they have only won one of their last six League Cup games against top flight teams, drawing two and losing three.
On first glance, Tottenham's home form this season is nothing to worry about. Of their 13 matches at White Hart Lane, they have won eight, drawn two and lost three. However, many of those victories have come against weak teams in the Europa League. If we look solely at their Premier League form, they have in fact won just one of their last six home games, a poor run that included West Ham's famous 3-0 victory a couple of months ago. Of course, they won't need reminding again that their last outing here resulted in that defeat by Liverpool that ultimately cost Villas-Boas his job.
Spurs just about scraped into the last eight with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Hull City in the last round. The two sides played out a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes to force the dreaded shootout, and it was the Lillywhites who came out on top. They had an easier time of it in the third round, however, thrashing Aston Villa 4-0.
At the other end of the pitch, the heavy defeats to the likes of Man City and Liverpool have turned what began as a good defensive record into the second worst in the top 13. They have conceded 21 times, with only newcastle shipping more goals in the top 13 this season (22). They have also conceded more goals than tonight's opponents, who are just one point above the relegation zone.
Perhaps the main factors behind Villas-Boas's sacking can be found if we delve a little deeper into their league performance this season, though. They have scored the fewest goals in the top 11 despite spending a lot of money on attacking players during the summer. They have only found the net 15 times in the league this season, which is the sixth lowest tally in the entire division.
It takes time to gel a side together, and Villas-Boas wasn't given that time this season. Before the defeat to Liverpool. Spurs were unbeaten in five matches, winning four and drawing one of those. Even after Sunday's loss they are just five points off the top four, which is not an insurmountable gap by any means.
When you look at the whole picture, Villas-Boas wasn't doing that bad a job at the club. Yes, they have had a few really bad days this season - notably the 3-0 defeat to West Ham here and the 6-0 defeat to Man City (as well as that Liverpool drubbing) - but overall they were in a decent place all things considered. The style of football wasn't as free-flowing as the fans would have liked, but Spurs are very much a work in progress at the moment, They lost their star player, who the team was built around last season, when Gareth Bale moved to Real Madrid in the summer, and while the replacements are yet to get firing on all cylinders, I think Villas-Boas invested that Bale money wisely.
There really is only one place to start tonight, and that is with Tottenham and the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas. The Portuguese manager left the club by mutual consent - to give the official line - just a day after watching his side thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool here at White Hart Lane. It was undoubtedly the manner of the defeat that caused the departure as much as the defeat itself, but even so Villas-Boas can feel quite hard done by.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for a very intriguing League Cup tie between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. A spot in the last four is up for grabs tonight as both sides look to take a step closer to the first piece of major silverware this season.
