Dier delivers the ball into the box, but he fails to reach any of his teammates as Adrian plucks the ball from the air with ease.

Bilic is looking frustrated as he shouts orders from the touchline. Having a 1-0 lead can never make a team feel secure and he wants this game over and done with!

Lanzini wins the ball back in the middle of the park before guiding a counter-attack, but his pass is deflected out for a throw-in. Shortly after that move, Lanzini was replaced with Diafra Sakho.

Son gets himself in a good position and the a through-ball is played towards him, but it's overhit and the ball bobbles out of play.

Alli sends the ball long looking for Kane, but Oxford does well to cut out the pass and clear. Carroll manages to pick up the ball but he fails to find another Spurs shirt.

Despite Spurs showing some good movement on the ball and dominating this half so far, they have not threatening Adrian enough. They're running out of time, though, so if they want to get something out of this game they have to do it soon!

SPURS SUB: Tom Carroll comes on for the visiting side as Kevin Wimmer makes way.

WEST HAM SUB: It's another change for the home side as Emenike leaves the pitch and is replaced with Andy Carroll.

Alderweireld's poor clearance goes as far as Cresswell, who shoots on the volley, but his effort is too high and he misses the target.

SPURS SUB: It's the end of Lamela's night as Son comes on to replace him.

CHANCE! Antonio should be celebrating his second of the night! Payet delivers from the set piece and Antonio is in the box ready to pounce, but his header sends the ball over the top.

WEST HAM SUB: Bilic makes his first change of the night as Reece Oxford replaces James Collins.

BOOKING! Davies receives a yellow card for bringing down Antonio.

SAVE! Adrian is called upon again as Eriksen unleashes a powerful strike at an acute angle from the right side of the box, but Adrian makes the block.

SAVE! What a crucial stop from Adrian! The ball is drilled at goal from Alderweireld 30 yards out. The West Ham keeper gets a hand to it, but he can only parry it to Kane, who reacts with a shot but he doesn't connect well and the ball is pushed away by Adrian.

SPURS SUB: Here he comes! Dele Alli comes on to replace Nacer Chadli. Tottenham need something special and maybe the 19-year-old midfielder can provide just that.

Lanzini makes his way into the box before cutting the ball back to Obiang, who goes for goal by striking with his first touch, but the ball flies over the bar.

CHANCE! At the other end, Cresswell squanders a good chance as his header soars over the crossbar after connecting with a cross in the penalty area. Trippier was caught napping at the back post, allowing Cresswell to unleash a late run.

Spurs try to ramp up the pressure as Mason receives the end of Lamela's back-heel pass and he smashes a thundering strike, but it's off target. That shot was never going to trouble Adrian.

Lamela moves into space at the near post and he's in a good position to latch onto a cross from the right. He meets the ball but his header is off target and the ball goes well wide.

Noble cuts out Lamela's return pass to Eriksen and begins the counter attack, which West Ham have enjoyed throughout this game, but Payet's cross-field pass is not controlled by Emenike.

The visiting side are having a nice spell of pressure and they seem to be exposing West Ham's problems on the left-hand side as Ogbonna seems to be struggling with an injury.

Davies tries his luck at the other end with a 20-yard shot, but he slices the effort and the ball goes wide.

Another nervy moment for Lloris as he almost has the ball nicked off him by Emenike in his own box. The keeper's clearance goes straight to Lanzini, but he fails to control the ball to get a shot away.

RESTART! The second half is underway! Can Spurs respond or will West Ham maintain their lead? Let's find out!

The referee signals for half time and it's been a decent one for West Ham. They are so far leading the charge at Upton Park as they head into the break with a 1-0 lead over Tottenham. It's been fully deserved for the home side as they have looked more threatening than their counterparts. Michail Antonio put West Ham ahead in the seventh minute with a header at the near post off Dimitri Payet's corner. Spurs have had most of the possession, but have lacked a clinical touch in the final third. We'll see if that changes in the second half. Back shortly!

CLOSE! Payet shows his skill as he cuts in from the left and curls a shot with his right foot. The Frenchman's effort comes close to sneaking through, but a deflection takes it wide.

BOOKING! Wimmer gets cautioned by the referee for a tackle on Emenike. If the incident had been closer to goal, you could argue for a red card. That's both of Tottenham's defenders in the book now.

Payet looks like he's enjoying this game! The Frenchman sends a no-look pass Emenike's way, but Wimmer beats him to the ball and gives away a corner. It's taken short but comes to nothing for the hosts.

CHANCE! Noble picks up the ball from Payet 20 yards out and goes for goal, but his attempt is blocked by Aldereireld. The ball bounces off the defender and back into the path of Noble, who rolls it to Antonio on the right-side of the box. The West Ham man then cuts inside and shoots with his left foot, but it's blocked.

Mason suffers an injury scare as he receives some treatment from Spurs' medical staff, but there does not seem to be any serious damage and the midfielder jobs back onto the pitch.

Noble sends a long pass towards the byline allowing Kouyate to run at it, but the pass is overhit and his teammate fails to catch up to it.

Payet takes the free kick and aims for goal, but it's lacking power and his attempt bounces in the box before falling into the hands of Lloris.

BOOKING! Alderweireld is the first player to be shown a yellow card this evening as he is punished for tripping Payet.

Oh dear, could have been a red-faced moment for Lloris! The goalkeeper receives the ball from Trippier's back-pass, but his first touch is heavy and Emenike comes close to chasing down the ball but the keeper just about gets there first!

Payet shows quick feet by getting past Trippier and moving to the byline before sending in a low cross, but the full-back intercepts the cross, which ricochets off Payet and out for a goal kick.

The flag goes up against Noble as he attempts to run in behind Tottenham's defence, but he goes too early and the chance goes missing.

Lanzini shows great skill by bringing the ball down by his chest with his back to goal before sending it over the head of the defender and running in behind, but he goes down after a tackle and shouts for a penalty but Marriner is having none of it.

Spurs are trying to find some rhythm in this game and they have been able to string passes together and keep hold of the ball for spells at a time, but they are yet to cause Adrian any trouble.

This time, it's Chadli who tries to make things happen for Spurs. He attempts to thread the ball through, but none of his teammates are there to latch on. Prior to that, Obiang failed to take advantage of Dier being caught in possession 25 yards out from his own goal.

Alderweireld searches for Kane as he sends the ball over the top of the defence, but the striker was standing in an offside position when the ball was played.

SAVE! A vital stop from Lloris! This time it's Noble who tests the keeper as he unleashes a long-range effort from 25 yards out. The ball's flight is aiming towards the top right corner, but Lloris pushes the ball away from the goal. He gives away a corner, but West Ham fail to make the most of it.

Lamela gets some medical treatment off the pitch after being on the receiving end of a clash from Cresswell, but the Argentine appears to be well enough to continue.

Spurs have work to do and if they want to show that they are worthy candidates then they will have to come from behind to get the three points that they crave. It's worth noting that the North London club have come from behind to earn 17 points, more than any other club in the Premier League.

The ball falls nicely for Emenike, who races forward in the final third, but he's rightfully flagged offside.

Spurs try to respond immediately down the other end as Davies drills a low effort towards the middle of the goal, but Adrian comfortably drops to the floor to make a save.

He's done it again! Michail Antonio has found the back of the net! What a perfect start for the Hammers. The goal starts at the corner flag as the ball is whipped in by Payet and finds Antonio, who directs a header at the near post and despite Lloris getting a touch, the keeper cant keep it out.

Spurs knock the ball around the box before Eriksen tries to break into the area, but Obiang gets in the way and prevents his opponent from getting through.

The home side have shown intent early on and have had some decent possession in the first few minutes. Tottenham are on the ball now and Trippier passes to Eriksen, who drives to the byline and whips the ball in searching for Kane, but Kouyate drops back and heads away.

West Ham get an early opportunity to cause some danger with a free kick close to the left corner. Payet whips the ball into the box, but it's punched clear from Lloris. Good work from the keeper.

KICKOFF! We're off! Andre Marriner is the referee for the match.

Both sets of players are making their way out onto the pitch. Kickoff is fast approaching!

They can also be encouraged by the fact that they have won 11 of their last 17 league matches against West Ham, who have won three and the remaining three ended in draws. There has also been exciting endings in these games as in the last three five goals were scored. Let's not forget that Tottenham smashed West Ham 4-1 at White Hart Lane in November.

Spurs can look to their away record for this game as they are unbeaten in their last 12 league games on the road having won seven and drawn five. They have also won their last six matches in the division and have only conceded 11 goals in their last 14 league games.

Despite Tottenham's strong position, Pochettino is refusing to accept that they are favourites for the crown. Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri recently said that Spurs are odds-on to lift the trophy, and how did Pocchetino respond?

"Mind games? No, it was a joke," the Argentine told reporters. "I laughed a little bit. In football it is good to play a little bit like this too. Our objective at the end of last season was clear, to reduce the gap with the teams at the top.

"For me Leicester are at the top and they have the pressure too like all the teams below. We don't feel that. Only for us it is important to keep our level, our fitness, our mentality and we'll see what happens. It's too soon to speak about the end of the season."

Anyway, back to Spurs. The team have been outsiders for the Premier League crown in the last few weeks, but their odds improved at the weekend when they came from behind to beat Swansea City. That fighting spirit was shown by Pochettino's men after they went a goal down in the 19th minute. Alberto Paloschi put the Swans ahead, but in the final 20 minutes of the game, Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose scored within seven minutes of one another to claim those all-important three points.

Manchester City are also in the running for the title as they sit fourth in the standings, 10 points behind Leicester and after tonight's game against Liverpool they will have a game in hand. Manuel Pellegrini's side did not play any league games at the weekend as they took on Liverpool and beat them on penalties to take home the Capital One Cup.

Pochettino and his men already have huge incentive to get a result tonight, but they have added incentive due to the fact that they could be top when they face North London rivals Arsenal on Saturday. The clashes between the two sides are fiery at best, but this particular fixture has even more riding on it as both are fighting for the ultimate prize. Arsenal are currently in third place, six points behind Leicester and three points adrift of Spurs.

Surprisingly last season's relegation battlers Leicester City are currently blocking Tottenham's route to the top. The Foxes have a three-point lead in first place, but their dream campaign was halted on Tuesday night when they were denied victory by West Bromwich Albion. After Andy King gave Leicester a 2-1 lead, Craig Gardner struck in the 50th minute to earn the Baggies a point. Tottenham have a great chance of moving top this evening if they manage to overcome West Ham.

Mauricio Pochettino has had a fine season so far with Tottenham and remember it is only his second year in charge of the North London outfit. They have one of the youngest squads in the division, which is an encouraging sign for the future, and they have capitalised on the fact that the so-called top four have disappointed this season. Chelsea crumbled in the first half of the campaign and Manchester United have failed to launch a title bid.

The Hammers have also been strong at the back having not conceded in their last six league games at Upton Park. The rest of the season bodes well too as their current 43-point tally is their best at the stage in a Premier League campaign. Everything seems to be in their favour at the moment, but let's not forget that they are going up against title contenders this evening.

Now that's cleared up, let's delve more into how West Ham have made their home ground a fortress this season. Spurs face a difficult task as since August, Bilic's side have not been beaten at Upton Park. The team have gone 13 games in all competitions at home without suffering defeat. They have secured eight wins and five draws in that time.

Antonio's manager was asked about the celebration and Bilic was quick to point out that his player and Homer Simpson are in no way similar!

Bilic told reporters: "I am a big fan of The Simpsons and saw his celebrations. To see him connected with Homer Simpson, they have nothing in common - there is no connection between the two.

"Homer is lazy. Michail is a workaholic. But I enjoyed his celebration."

If you don't know which scene we mean, take a look at the tweet below...

Another player who has stood out recently is Michail Antonio. The 25-year-old has been among the goals as he has netted four in his last five Premier League games at Upton Park. At the weekend, Antonio scored a stunning goal in the Hammers' 1-0 win over Sunderland and his celebration caught the attention as he dropped to the floor and propelled himself in circles. After the game, he told reporters that he was mimicking a move done by The Simpsons cartoon character Homer Simpson in the movie.

West Ham have worked well as a team but individual players have also stood out, including Dimitri Payet. The Frenchman has impressed with his ability to bring players into the game and dictate attacking moves. He has managed to score seven goals and provide five assists so far this season and is proving to be a great bit of business as West Ham only spent around £13m when they bought the attacking midfielder from Marseille last summer.

The Hammers are surprise contenders for a Champions League spot and while their form is a big reason why they are just four points off fourth place, they have also been helped by the inconsistency of Manchester United and Liverpool. A space in the top echelons also opened up when Chelsea dropped down the standings following a horror first few months of the campaign, which resulted in Jose Mourinho getting sacked.

West Ham have impressed this season and have arguably exceeded expectations as when Slaven Bilic was installed as manager, the main aim was to ensure that the club remained in the Premier League by the time they moved into the Olympic Stadium in the summer of 2016. That objective has been achieved but they may go that one step further.

Tottenham have a great chance of moving to the top of the Premier League table tonight, but after seeing that Pochettino has rested a handful of his players, West Ham may be feeling even more confident of getting a win this evening.

Trippier, Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Davies form a defensive back four in front of goalkeeper Huge Lloris, while Eric Dier and Mason line the midfield. Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Chadli will provide attacking threat to Spurs' star striker Harry Kane, who has scored 21 goals so far this season.

As for Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino recently suggested that he would consider resting some of his players and he has done so. Dele Alli is one of four players who have been taken out of the starting lineup following last weekend's comeback win over Swansea City. The influential midfielder drops to the bench, and is joined by Kyle Walker, Danny Rose and Son Heung-min. In comes Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies, Ryan Mason and Nacer Chadli.

As expected, Adrian lines up in goal, with a back four of Antonio, James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell protecting him. Obeying joins a midfield three of Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, while Manuel Lanzini, Dimitri Payet and Emmanuel Emenike provide the attacking threat.

The big news for West Ham is that Diafra Sakho is handed a spot on the bench following three months out of action with injury. With regards to the first XI, Slaven Bilic has made just the one change as Pedro Obiang comes in for the suspended Sam Byram. As a result of Byram's inability to play, Michail Antonio will drop into a full-back position.

TOTTENHAM XI: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Davies; Dier, Mason; Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane
Subs: Vorm, Rose, Walker, Alli, Carroll, Onomah, Son

WEST HAM XI: Adrian; Antonio, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Noble, Kouyate; Lanzini, Payet, Emenike
Subs: Randolph, Song, Carroll, Sakho, Oxford, Henry, Dobson

I'm sure you're all eagerly awaiting the lineups for tonight's clash, so without further ado here they are...

As for Tottenham, well I'm sure there are not many people who envisaged Mauricio Pochettino creating a team that could realistically win the title. Spurs have not been crowned English champions since 1961, but this young squad have a chance as they are just three points adrift of leaders Leicester City. If they win this evening they will move to the top of the standings on goal difference. What a birthday present that would be for Pochettino, who turns 44 today!

Slaven Bilic has transformed the Hammers into a side worthy of challenging for a Champions League spot. Credit must go to former manager Sam Allardyce, though, as he laid the foundations before leaving the club at the end of last season. Currently, West Ham are sixth in the league table, four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City. Depending on the other results of the night, the Hammers could move into fifth with a win.

Evening all! There are five juicy fixtures in the Premier League calendar this evening, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all in action. Sports Mole will have every game covered, and right here we are turning our attention to the London derby between West Ham and Tottenham at Upton Park.