Ally McCoist insisted Mohammed Kudus did not deserve to see red during the London derby, despite a moment of madness from the midfielder.
Kudus had given the visitors an early lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before Dejan Kulusevski equalized for Spurs before the break.
Ange Postecoglou replaced James Maddison with Pape Matar Sarr at half-time and the hosts returned rejuvenated after the restart, with a rapid run of goals.
Yves Bissouma put Spurs ahead before their lead was doubled when Alphonse Areola turned the ball into his own net, before Son Heung-min completed the rout on the hour mark.
Frustration was evident among the West Ham players as they tried to claw their way back into the match, with Kudus lashing out at Micky van de Ven in the closing stages.
The midfielder was initially shown a yellow card after appearing to kick the Dutch defender as he challenged for the ball, before punching him during the resulting melee.
A subsequent VAR review ultimately overturned the referee’s decision and Kudus was given his marching orders, much to the chagrin of commentator McCoist.
“I’ll be honest, I’m probably old-fashioned,” McCoist told TNT Sports. “Give him a booking and let’s get on with the game.”
More to follow.