Hello and to welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the EFL Cup fourth-round tie between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Wembley Stadium. The London rivals face off for the second time in the space of a month with a place in the quarter-finals of the competition up for grabs - fingers crossed for a contest as entertaining as the one witnessed in the Premier League in September!

Spurs appear to have put their Wembley hoodoo to one side for now after going six matches without defeat here, most recently racking up a convincing 4-1 victory over Liverpool at the weekend. West Ham have yet to truly get going either at home or away all campaign, meanwhile, losing exactly half of their six fixtures thus far to see the pressure on boss Slaven Bilic continually grow.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Vorm; Foyth, Alderweireld, Davies; Trippier, Dier, Sissoko, Rose; Dele, Son; Llorente

SUBS: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Walkers-Peters, Dembele, Winks, Eriksen, Nkoudou

Starting with a look at the home team, manager Mauricio Pochettino has handed a first start since January to full-back Danny Rose. The England international has spent nine months recovering from a knee problem but, after a 10-minute cameo from the bench against Real Madrid last week, he is now deemed fit enough to play a part from the off in a five-man backline.

As confirmed by Pochettino earlier in the week, Michel Vorm starts for the second EFL Cup tie in a row and captains the side for the first time in the absence of Hugo Lloris, who does not even take up a spot in the bench - summer signing Paulo Gazzaniga instead has that honour, as he awaits his debut. Elsewhere, Heung-Min Son retains his spot in attack for his 200th appearance in a Tottenham shirt, starting alongside Dele Alli and just off Fernando Llorente.

Pochettino promised changes this evening and that indeed is the case, with top scorer Harry Kane - boasting 17 goals in 16 appearances for club and country this term - not making the squad at all. Llorente is instead given a chance to impress having so far failed to get off the mark in his eight appearances, including 67 minutes against Barnsley in the previous round. Erik Lamela is still absent with a hip problem, while Mousa Dembele is among the subs.

WEST HAM UNITED TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Adrian, Byram, Ogbonna, Rice, Kouyate, Cresswell, Noble, Fernandes, Lanzini, Ayew, Carroll

SUBS: Hart, Fonte, Masuaku, Obiang, Arnautovic, Haksabanovic, Hernandez

Seven changes made in all by Pochettino, bringing in Vorm, Foyth, Davies, Rose, Dier, Sissoko and Llorente from the 4-1 win over Liverpool, but it is still an incredibly strong looking XI. Visiting boss Bilic has made nine alterations to his starting lineup, meanwhile, with only Cheikhou Kouyate and Manuel Lanzini keeping their places from last Friday's 3-0 hammering at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Adrian is brought in between the sticks for his third appearance of the season - each of coming in this competition - while Andy Carroll takes over from Javier Hernandez up top after returning from a one-match ban. Sam Byram, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Aaron Cresswell, Mark Noble, Edimilson Fernandes and Andre Ayew are the others to be welcomed back into the fold as United look to truly kickstart their campaign.

A big evening ahead for young defender Rice, who stood out in the win over Cheltenham Town in round two and also played a full part against Bolton Wanderers at the London Stadium in round three. Bilic's hand has been forced somewhat, having lost star man Michail Antonio to a rib injury to join Diafra Sakho and James Collins on the sidelines. Pablo Zabaleta and Winston Reid are both rested entirely, meanwhile, though Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic are among the back-up options tonight.

Harry Kane was always likely to sit this one out entirely after being withdrawn late on against Liverpool at the weekend. It may have been a different story had league points been on the line tonight, perhaps, but Mauricio Pochettino can still name a strong XI, even if he has made seven changes from that win here against the Reds a few days back. West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has gone with nine alterations in all, meanwhile, including returns at either end of the field for Adrian and Andy Carroll.

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Spurs are under considerably less pressure to win this game than their opponents, it is fair to say, though any sort of derby defeat will obviously be tough to take. The Lilywhites have slowly built up momentum after a fairly mixed start to the campaign that saw them drop points in three of their first five top-flight outings, including defeat to Chelsea and draws against Burnley and Swansea City at Wembley Stadium early on.

There is no doubt that Tottenham struggled when it came to competing at Wembley - one glance at the results proves that - but they have managed to put all that behind them and now look far more comfortable in their new (albeit temporary) surroundings. Spurs have since defeated Barnsley, Bournemouth and Liverpool here in quick succession, with that triumph over the Reds last time out the pick of the bunch - only then did it truly feel like this is now their home.

The 4-1 win over Liverpool keeps Spurs very much on course for another crack at the title, having slipped away two seasons ago to finish third and gone one better last term when finishing as runners-up. Pochettino has worked wonders in North London and there is a debate to be had that he possesses the best man-for-man squad in the division, though a certain Pep Guardiola will rightly disagree after putting together a rather incredible 11-match winning run, only ended with a draw after extra time against Wolverhampton Wanderers last night.

It is just one defeat in 13 games overall for Tottenham in 2017-18, coming at the hands of Chelsea here in their first home outing. That run includes six wins in their last seven; even the draw feeling like a victory in its own right as they picked up a valuable Champions League point away at Real Madrid last week. Spurs are looking good value to challenge again in the Premier League, then, sitting third in the table and now level on points with Man United directly above them.

The same questions continue to be asked, though - can Tottenham Hotspur be considered a great side unless they win silverware? Finishing third and then second is a decent achievement, granted, but Pochettino surely needs to add a trophy to the collection. This competition has been kind to the Lilywhites down the years, winning it on four separate occasions - most recently in 2008 when famously beating Chelsea here.

That is Tottenham's only major honour since the turn of the millennium, so going all the way once again would certainly be welcomed by supporters. Spurs also have eyes on the Champions League, of course, finding themselves in a strong position to progress through a tough group after beating Borussia Dortmund and APOEL, before drawing to holders Real Madrid last time out. At the midway point their fate remains in their own hands, though there is still work to be done.

This is a truly massive period ahead of Pochettino and his players, as they take on both Madrid and Dortmund in the Champions League in the next month, as well as Man United and Arsenal in the Premier League. Come the start of December the picture will begin to look a little clearer, with Tottenham fans hoping that their side remain in contention in all three competitions, ahead of the FA Cup getting up and running in January.

Spurs edged out Barnsley 1-0 here in their only previous EFL Cup tie this term, progressing through thanks to a Dele Alli goal 65 minutes in. As he did then, Pochettino has made changes tonight but there is no doubt that the hosts are favourites to get the job done when looking at each individual player - quality all around. The Argentine will of course have an eye on the trip to Old Trafford on Saturday; building momentum heading into that will be equally as important.

DID YOU KNOW? As touched on a little earlier, Tottenham Hotspur are beginning to find their feet at Wembley Stadium. The Lilywhites are unbeaten in six games here and have won three in a row since being held to a goalless draw by Swansea City on September 16, overcoming Barnsley, Bournemouth and Liverpool in that time. They scored more goals against the Reds last time out (four from 14 shots) than they did in their previous four Prem outings here (three from 90).

One man's stock could not be any higher right now, while the other is seemingly on the brink of being sacked heading into each fixture. West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is expected to keep his job for the time being, regardless of the result tonight, but defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend may well spell the end of his time in East London.

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The Hammers sit 16th in the Premier League, level on points with the bottom three after making another slow start to the season. The pressure has continually built on Bilic, who survived last season after turning things around just in time, but reports suggest that the top-flight clash against bottom-side Palace could determine his fate. Win that and United could climb as high as 11th; lose it and they will likely be in the dropzone and in desperate need of help.

Co-owner David Sullivan did stress last week that the club intended to give Bilic until the end of the season, at which point his contract is due to expire. Those comments were made prior to the 3-0 home loss to Brighton, though, which really was a dire team display. Bilic, for what it is worth, has maintained that he will never consider walking away from the Hammers as this is something close to a dream job for him.

United lost their opening three Premier League games before a welcome respite that saw them collect four points from games against Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion. Then came a 3-2 loss at home to tonight's opponents, with a win, draw and defeat following in the three games since. The Hammers have a knack of pulling themselves back to the surface, as seen when picking up credible results against Swansea and Burnley recently, before then crashing back down - the 3-0 loss to Brighton says it all.

Saturday afternoon's trip to Selhurst Park really is huge for Bilic - more so than tonight's game, you'd imagine, as West Ham are very much second favourites against another of their London rivals. The pressure on Bilic has arguably only intensified following the sackings of Ronald Koeman and Craig Shakespeare over the last eight days, on top of Frank de Boer's dismissal by Palace earlier in the campaign.

West Ham have had better success in the EFL Cup this term, though, seeing off Cheltenham in round two when arguably under more pressure than they are right now, before easing to a 3-0 victory over Bolton on home soil. Those results have improved Bilic's record slightly, making it four wins, two draws and six defeats from their 12 fixtures to date. A seventh and eighth defeat over the next three days and it may well be curtains for the Croat.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These sides have met once already this season, playing out an entertaining contest a month ago as Tottenham Hotspur held on to win 3-2 at the London Stadium. The Lilywhites have not defeated West Ham United back-to-back since February 2013, however, losing five and drawing one of their 10 encounters since then, but they do boast the better overall record - 94 wins to the Hammers' 62.

With kickoff at Wembley Stadium now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Mauricio Pochettino: "The Premier League] can really change your life. And then the FA Cup, of course, I would like to win. I would like to win the Carabao Cup. But I think it will not change the life of Tottenham. If you want to be a big team and if you want to fight for big things, it's impossible if you don't use all the squad and rotate in England. Players are not a machine. In Spain, France, German and Italy it's completely different. I think we need to teach our fans because it's so difficult to fight for four competitions."

Slaven Bilic: "[I am] never, never, never walking away. I never walked away in my life. It is my job and a job I like to do especially in a place that I feel, after my hometown, is like few other places, you are treated special. I played here and all that. Do I need it? Let's not be that, how can I say, that black. It is a great job. You ask me about [Ronald] Koeman - there are always three, four, five managers in those positions and I'm definitely one of them. Does it make me lose my focus? No, it gives you even more."

Pochettino making quite clear where the EFL Cup stands on his light of priorities, then, insisting that winning the competition will not 'change the life' of the club. A fair point, maybe, but after winning just one major honour since the turn of the millennium surely going all the way in this competition would act as a good springboard to push on. Just ask Jose Mourinho, who seems to be an expert at doing exactly that.

Bilic insists that he 'will never walk away' from west Ham, meanwhile, despite the growing pressure. The Croat has been fighting a losing battle for the best part of a year now, though it does seem likely that he will be on his way next summer even if he does navigate this tricky period. A win tonight will do him and his players the world of good, but already one eye is on the trip to Selhurst Park at the weekend in a battle between two struggling London clubs.

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KICKOFF! Two places remain up for grabs in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, as Tottenham Hotspur host West Ham United and Chelsea take on Everton at Stamford Bridge. Fingers crossed for an entertaining night of football!

Hard to determine just how many fans are inside Wembley Stadium this evening, but around 50,000 was the estimated figure this time yesterday. Spurs the side on top at the moment, looking to slowly work the ball forward into the opposition half.

The worst possible start for West Ham, as Sissoko calmly slots the ball past Adrian to give the home side a one-goal lead. A well-worked goal it was, too, as some quick passing culminated in Son Heung-min sliding the ball through for Sissoko, who kept his cool when left one-on-one.

Spurs at their counter-attacking best for that breakthrough goal. Already West Ham with a mountain to climb, as the Lilywhites will happily sit back and hit them on the break if required. Could be a long evening ahead!

West Ham have responded well enough, winning themselves a corner which each of the big boys fail to get on the end of. Spurs then get forward down the right through Trippier, whose cross had far too much on it for his teammates.

A fairly balanced contest on the whole, even taking that Spurs goal into the equation. Just the one piece of quality so far, which led to the breakthrough moment as Sissoko slotted the ball past Adrian after being played in on goal.

Decent atmosphere inside Wembley Stadium, even if it is only around half full. West Ham the side on top at the moment, desperately attempting to make some inroads as they look for a route back into this EFL Cup fourth-round tie.

The visitors have played some pretty decent football, but it will count for nothing at this rate as they are unable to get the ball into the final third. Alderweireld gets across well to win the ball in his first EFL Cup outing as a Spurs player.

SAVE! Superb stop from Adrian to deny Alli, who peeled away unmarked at the back post to get a clean header on goal. Trippier's cross was perfect, but his teammate could not quite get the beating of United's back-up keeper.

Nearly a quarter of the match played and the only two chances so far have fallen the home side's way. Sissoko slotted home early on to open the scoring, while Alli failed to do likewise when denied by Adrian at the back post a couple of minutes ago.

Carroll with his first sight of goal as, after a rather embarrassing air kick, he blasts the follow-up goalwards but sees it blocked on the edge of the box. United by no means being dominated, but they need to start creating a little more.

A free kick from deep into the Spurs box is horribly dealt with by the home side. Alderweireld hooks it into the air and Kouyate makes just about enough contact to send it goalwards, but the referee felt that he used his elbow so it would not have counted even if it did beat Lloris.

Fernandes with a shocking attempt, which was never going to trouble Lloris in the Tottenham goal. West Ham have just about been the side on top so far but it's chances and goals that count - Spurs come out on top in both departments.

Spurs far from their flowing best so far. Son has a shot from range which loops wildly into the air and goes behind for a corner, which Trippier swings into a good area of the box, only for the referee to blow for an infringement.

A third of the match now played and Tottenham lead through that early Sissoko goal. Byram has barely been involved in the match so far down the right and, when finally given something to charge down, he was frustratingly flagged for offside.

These sides have shared 50% of possession each so far at Wembley Stadium. West Ham have given a fairly decent account of themselves, but ultimately Spurs have created the only two chances of the match and taken one of those.

The visitors have so far been unable to take advantage of their opponents being stuck in first gear. Pochettino will not mind all that much for now, as his side sit on a one-goal lead with 11 minutes of the first half left to play.

Not been a classic so far, to say the least. West Ham have barely registered an attempt in the opening 36 minutes, while Tottenham netted early on through Sissoko and have since come close to adding a second when Alli tested Adrian.

From the best passing move of the match so far, Dele Alli curls the ball past Adrian via a telling deflection from Declan Rice. The ball seemed to take an age to find the back of the net, with the touch from the United midfielder taking it away from his goalkeeper.

Spurs, still very much in first or second gear, are on course for a place in the quarter-finals. West Ham have struggled to create anything and Bilic may well be tempted to change things around slightly at the break, which is now fast approaching.

SAVE! Son has been the best player on the field this evening, setting up both Tottenham goals. Captain Mark Noble, back in the side after a couple of games away, sends a shot pretty much down the middle for Vorm to easily keep out.

Dele Alli looked for a little chipped pass over the top but it had too much on it. Spurs the side seemingly in more of a rush to score the game's third goal, as they look to put the cup tie to bed for good ahead of the half-time break.

Tottenham Hotspur go into the interval two goals to the good, despite failing to really get out of second gear. The visitors were a goal down inside six minutes through a Moussa Sissoko strike, before Dele Alli added a second seven minutes before the break. Plenty for West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic to ponder before the second half gets under way.

Spurs got off the mark with six minutes on the clock as Moussa Sissoko kept his cool to calmly slot the ball past Adrian after being played through by Son Heung-min. The home side showed seven changes from their last match, compared to nine alterations made by West Ham, and it told at times as both sides struggled to find any real rhythm to their game in the first half.

Despite being in second gear Tottenham should have had a second a quarter of the way through when Alli peeled away at the back post and sent a header on target for Adrian to palm away. Alli, the matchwinner in the last round against Barnsley, did not need a second invitation as he found the net from his next attempt seven minutes before the half-time interval.

The England international curled the ball towards the bottom corner following a nice passing move, finding his intended spot via a telling touch off the head of Declan Rice. West Ham's only serious shot of the opening 45 minutes came via returning skipper Mark Noble, who was unable to get the better of Michel Vorm - also wearing the captain's armband for the first time - down low.

Tottenham well on course for a place in the hat for tomorrow afternoon's draw, then, while West Ham have it all to do if they are to get back to winning ways. Will either manager make a change at the interval? Here is a reminder of both sides' benches...

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Walkers-Peters, Dembele, Winks, Eriksen, Nkoudou

WEST HAM UNITED SUBS: Hart, Fonte, Masuaku, Obiang, Arnautovic, Haksabanovic, Hernandez

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RESTART! Tottenham Hotspur get us back under way at Wembley Stadium, sitting on a two-goal lead despite failing to really hit their top levels. No changes made by either manager the interval, with West Ham United looking to hit back early on.

A slow start to the second half as Rose was unhappy with the manner in which Noble knocked the ball back to Lloris. Referee Mike Dean tells the United skipper to calm down but that took a good couple of minutes to sort out.

Good cross from Cresswell on the left which Rose has to chest behind for a corner. No West Ham player gambled to get ahead of the Tottenham full-back, with Byram the closest to making contact. The set piece comes to little.

The second have going the same way as the first; West Ham seeing a fair bit of the ball but desperately failing to do anything with it. A similar story for Spurs, though every now and then they step things up and usually make it count.

A third goal for Spurs really would kill off the contest, giving Pochettino a chance to make further changes. On the flipside, should West Ham net - which looks seriously unlikely at the moment - then we would have a contest back on our hands.

Cresswell with another dangerous cross from the left, which is looking West Ham's best bet to find a route back into the match. Carroll was the intended target, but Davies got there first to clear the danger and keep his side's two-goal lead intact.

All of a sudden we do indeed have a game on our hands! Edmilson Fernandes put his foot through the ball when a corner was only half-cleared and Vorm could only parry into the path of Andre Ayew, who was kept onside by Davies and tapped home.

CHANCE! West Ham finally enjoying some sustained pressure now as they come close to a leveller. Cresswell is proving to be the key man down the left, sending in another dangerous cross that Vorm gets to ahead of Ayew - could the striker have shown more bravery? Maybe.

Unbelievable! West Ham looked unlikely to muster another shot seven minutes ago - they have since scored twice to level things up! Spurs failed to clear their lines, the ball fell nicely for Lanzini to pick out Ayew and the striker applied the finishing touch from close range.

SAVE! A firm volley from Alli from eight yards out, which Adrian does well to get behind. West Ham the side with all the momentum, but they could so easily have been back behind there had their keeper not been alert to that shot.

A rather disappointing first half on the whole, but we certainly have a contest on our hands now. West Ham have shown far more attacking intent since the restart and deserve to be level, with Bilic now urging his men on to find another.

We are heading for extra time and possible penalties as things stand, remember, as the tie has to be decided on the night. West Ham fans the ones making all the noise at the moment, in complete contrast to 12 minutes ago when two goals down.

Incredible!! West Ham, two goals down 15 minutes ago, now find themselves ahead on enemy territory! Lanzini's left-sided corner was met at the front post by Ogbonna, who timed his run to perfection to guide to ball across Vorm and into the far corner.

SAVE! Sissoko fails to get too much on his shot from 20 yards out, which Adrian was always favourite to keep out. Tottenham, so comfortable in the first half, now have to find their attacking groove or they are heading out.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Mousa Dembele, absent for the last six matches with a foot problem, comes on for Llorente. Pochettino changing formation, it seems, with his side struggling to offer anything in this second period.

Pretty much Tottenham's best attacking move of the half, which culminates in full-back Rose lofting the ball into a dangerous area. It finds its way to Sissoko, whose angled drive ended high and wide of the West Ham target.

WEST HAM UNITED SUB! West Ham fans, understandably, the ones making all the noise inside a half-full Wembley right now. Fernandes has been taken off with around 11 minutes to play, with Pedro Obiang on in his place.

Davies steps forward out of defence and is tripped close to the opposition box, meaning a free kick in a dangerous position. Trippier was the man who won the right to take it on, sending it wide of the target from around 23 yards out.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Rose lasts over 80 minutes on his return to domestic action. Christian Eriksen is the man brought on in his place, providing Spurs with that additional quality they have lacked in the final third.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! N'Koudou, very much the forgotten man around these parts, is on in place of Son Heung-min. Bilic still has a couple of changes available to make, which he will no doubt use to eat up some time.

Just three minutes of normal time left to play at Wembley and Tottenham, despite dominating possession, do not really look capable of scoring at the moment. I did say exactly the same thing about West Ham at 2-0, mind!

WEST HAM UNITED SUB! Bilic using the second of his subs by bringing on Arnautovic for Lanzini. Tottenham well on top now but they have been unable to test Adrian for the past 15 minutes, with time fast ticking down for them.

We have played the first of four added-on minutes at Wembley Stadium. West Ham, two goals down with 10 minutes of the second half played, are on the brink of a place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. Can they see things through?...

Spurs unable to enjoy any real sustained pressure in this second period, having been so dominant in the first half without truly getting out of second gear. Eriksen is now on the field but not even the creative Dane can inspire his side.

What an incredible night of action at the national stadium! Tottenham Hotspur let slip a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against London rivals West Ham United - a comeback completed in the space of 15 second-half minutes - to see their EFL Cup campaign end at the fourth-round stage. The Hammers, meanwhile, can look forward to tomorrow's quarter-final draw.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Wembley Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while a recap of Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Everton elsewhere this evening can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!