FULL TIME: Hammers slump to heavy defeat at Spurs

WEST Ham's recent form went from bad to worse at Spurs this afternoon as they slumped to a dispiriting third 4-0 defeat in nine days.

Two Dimitar Berbatov strikes within the first ten minutes put Spurs into a commanding lead and the Hammers on the back foot.

The Bulgarian striker headed in Tom Huddlestone's free kick on seven minutes to open the scoring.

And it was the same combination that combined for a second goal two minutes later in a carbon copy effort.

Matters were not helped on 44 minutes when Luis Boa Morte was dismissed for a second bookable offence on Aaron Lennon.

The Portugal winger had earlier been booked for unsporting behaviour.

Full back Da Silva Gilberto scored a third five minutes from time with a left-footed drive from just inside the penalty area.

And Darren Bent sealed a miserable afternoon for Hammers in stoppage time when he headed Spurs' fourth from a Alan Hutton cross.

The result leaves Alan Curbishley's men - who suffered the same reverse against Chelsea and Liverpool in their last two outings - just five points above their north London rivals.

West Ham: Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Spector, McCartney, Ljungberg (Pantsil 70), Mullins, Parker (Noble 75), Boa Morte, Ashton (Cole 76), Zamora. Unused subs: Solano, Wright.