Bale lifts Spurs to third

Gareth Bale’s stunning late goal lifted Tottenham to a 3-2 win over West Ham United last night which took them up to third in the Premier League table.

Bale opened the scoring on 13 minutes but left his best until the 90th minute when he unleashed a rocket of a shot past goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen who had been in brilliant form to deny the visitors on several occasions.

A penalty from Andy Carroll and a Joe Cole strike in the second half had put the hosts ahead but Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson levelled for Spurs with 14 minutes remaining.

Spurs went two points clear of Chelsea on 51 points while West Ham dropped to 14th on a poignant night for the east London club, who honoured former player and England’s 1966 World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore on the 20th anniversary of his death.