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Sometimes you can actually change the players and not the manager. At least for one game. In a game where both coaches were under some pressure, Ange Postecoglou was proactive with his own substitutes while Julen Lopetegui atone for his indecision. The question is whether the Basque will even be at West Ham when Mohammed Kudus returns to the team, with the striker facing a ban of at least three games after a game here left him visibly frustrated.

His team was disastrous in a 4-1 defeat in which Tottenham could have scored eight goals. As deserved as that would have been, the victory was still the story of two substitutions – or actually four. Towards the end of the first half, Spurs had begun to take the lead after Dejan Kulusevski canceled out Kudus' first goal. However, there was still more to do, especially given that James Maddison had been quite ineffective. This was particularly the case when cornering.

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Postecoglou decided to substitute Pape Matar Sarr for Maddison and Spurs almost immediately overran West Ham. Yves Bissouma had scored within a few minutes.

Postecoglou later stressed it was purely tactical, citing West Ham's “physical power” in midfield. Another interpretation was that Lopetegui's team was so slow in the center.

It really was so obvious that the West Ham manager made three changes. However, he was nowhere near as fast as the Spurs. By the time the players were on the sideline ready to sub, which only took three minutes, Spurs had already scored two more goals.

Jean-Clair Todibo had come into conflict with Alphonse Areola, and the two crowned their dismal individual performances with an own goal for which they were both to blame. It was as if they had simply collapsed under Spurs' pressure, as if their confidence had disappeared.

Lopetegui was asked about the slow replacements and said it was about being ready, but stressed it was “not about the players on the pitch”.

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Maybe that's true. There were individual errors and a collective lack of coherence everywhere. Spurs simply streamed through gaps in West Ham's lineup from the start.

On the other hand, Son Heung-Min enjoyed one of his best matches in a long time. It was his divine run and off-foot overlap that led to Areola's own goal, before he bettered that with his fourth goal.

After another moment where West Ham lost possession in play, the ball was passed to Son. He showed outstanding footwork, stormed into the penalty area and then finished in vintage style. His only rival for the game's star performer was Kulusevski, who had delivered a devastating performance at the top of the midfield. If he plays the right role and form, he can be one of the most productive players in the Premier League. There's the effectiveness of those little moves to create space, complemented by his willingness to run long stretches of the field. Son enjoyed the partnership.

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However, as with the Spurs team as a whole, it's hard to say much about what this means for the future. It was clearly a much-needed confidence boost, particularly given what had happened in the 3-2 defeat to Brighton and the way Kudus' opener had exposed familiar problems in defence.

Spurs had been dominant and yet even a team as struggling as this West Ham could suddenly break through them.

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There's also a slight feeling that this was a genuine Spurs win, at least in terms of trying really hard and looking convincing when it's easy. Not when it's hard.

Given the performance, this may be charitable. This was still one of those games where you can see how much fun a Postecoglou display is when everything is working. Spurs were often exciting. This will also increase self-confidence and dynamism. This is particularly true given that this was the first Postecoglou win against Arsenal, Chelsea or West Ham – the club's great rivals.

Postecoglou smiled when asked about it and said how “important it is for the fans.”

He didn't say it here, but the usual argument is that he wants to build something much bigger. However, as Postecoglou admitted, the atmosphere helps, and after wins like this it only gets better.

They equalized West Ham and that clearly affected Kudus. A single image showed a one-man trail of destruction as both Micky van de Ven and Richarlison lay on the ground clutching their faces as a melee broke out to the right. After kicking Van de Ven and hitting both the defender and Richarlison, Kudus then went after Sarr too. It didn't necessarily take more than this image to give him a red card. Andy Madley still had to go to VAR and correct the inexplicable yellow.

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Lopetegui also claimed he “didn't see the action”, which felt like something out of the Arsene Wenger playbook. He may not stay in the Premier League nearly as long. Questions about his future will only increase after another unfortunate outing in which it looked like his team simply didn't know what they were after. He was asked what he can say to suggest that this will indeed improve. West Ham look like a mob.

“The message is that we are sure that we will have much better moments,” he said in defense. “The Premier League is very long for all teams. We knew we had a tough start. We can improve, we can win games. I’m sure we can do it.”

He could be the only one. Here he showed none of Postecoglou's determination.