Jamie Redknapp believes Tottenham’s away form will cost them the Premier League title.
Second-placed Spurs’ nine-match winning run came to an end when they were beaten 1-0 at West Ham on Friday evening.
It means leaders Chelsea, who face Middlesbrough on Monday, are two wins away from being crowned champions.
It also leaves Tottenham facing the prospect of falling short again, having been similarly unable to catch Leicester last season.
But former Spurs midfielder Redknapp, speaking on Sky Sports, insisted they d0 not deserve too much criticism – and that West Ham deserve much praise for a terrific performance.
“I can see the headlines now that Spurs ‘bottled it and ‘ran out of steam’,” said Redknapp.
“The truth is they’ve been off the back of nine wins on the spin. They just didn’t play tonight and sometimes you have those game
“You really have to credit West Ham because they to a certain extent out-Spursed Spurs.They closed them, they stopped them playing, they had a gameplan.
“It would be cruel to sit here and say Spurs have blown it and thrown it away. They haven’t.
“Their away form has cost them all season. They’ve only won seven games away from home, Chelsea have won 12. That’s been the difference really.”