Tottenham appear a shadow of the side that topped the table in mid-December and Mourinho is in one of the worst spells of his long managerial career.
Things might have been different at the London Stadium had Gareth Bale’s fierce strike gone in instead of hitting the crossbar or Son Heung-min’s deflected effort not looped on to the post and Mourinho says momentum could turn on a piece of luck going their way.
Asked whether they could still finish in the top four: “It is mathematically possible. When is mathematically possible, it is realistic.
“Very hard, yes, very hard, but mathematically possible. Of course our team has problems, and the problems they have reflect on results and on points, but I also believe that a little bit of that light, a little bit of that luck that you also need in football to win matches, has to be back.
“And if that light comes back, (it) is different. You hit the post and the ball goes inside or goes outside. The VAR decisions, many times, I am not speaking about today because today I didn’t watch, but many times are controversial, or are decisions by one inch.
“You sometimes need also a little bit of luck to go in your favour. I believe that if this team wins a couple of matches in a row, that the situation can change, and that we can still fight for top four. Of course if you say nine points now, it is difficult, (but it) is very possible.”
Everything is going West Ham’s way at the minute and they look genuine contenders to qualify for Europe in what is shaping up to be their best Premier League campaign.
The January arrival of Jesse Lingard, on loan from Manchester United, has provided them with a boost and he scored his third goal since joining to put the Hammers 2-0 up early in the second half.
Boss David Moyes has been delighted with the England international’s impact.
He said: “Jesse is a really talented footballer. It wasn’t long ago that he was an England international who was making a big contribution. I think he can play in two or three positions and he has shown he has got a goal in him.
“Going into the January transfer window is never an easy time and I think this was probably one of the hardest because of the pandemic and the difficulty in getting players.
“So to bring somebody in who helps your team and improves it is not an easy thing to go and Jesse is improving it and making us better.”
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