A youthful West Ham United reserve side were beaten 2-1 at home to Tottenham, despite a spirited second-half comeback.
The Hammers were forced into an early change when Jack Collison went down clutching his knee and Junior Stanislas was brought on to replace him.
Spurs took the lead seven minutes into the match after some good work from Phil Ifil who crossed low to the edge of the six yard box and Charlie Lee's scuffed shot squeezed past Jimmy Walker.
It was Walker's first full match since September and boss Steve Brown said: "He came in, played well and got exactly what he needs which was 90 minutes of competitive football and he's 90 minutes better off."
Ten minutes after their first strike, Spurs doubled their lead from a sweeping move as Charlie Lee passed to David Hutton, who set up Jake Livermore for the first-time finish.
The Hammers worked their way back into the game but chances were hard to come by, despite the best efforts of Brown's young charges.
Their best opening came on the half-hour mark when a well-struck shot from the edge of the box by Jack Jeffrey hit the side netting.
Walker produced an excellent save from Joe Widdowson's powerful left-foot drive as the clock ticked toward half-time.But there was still time for one more attack before the break. At the other end Ben Alnwick kept out a blistering shot from Freddie Sears.
Alnwick pulled off another outstanding save early in the second half as he charged down Fitzgerald's shot after the midfielder had capitalised on some defensive indecision to burst through the middle.
Hammers deservedly pulled a goal back in the 59th minute after Ben Hunt squared the ball to Sears who, unmarked in the box, lifted the ball skilfully over Alnwick.
With ten minutes left the Hammers pushed forward in search of an equaliser but encountered some dogged Spurs resistance as Hunt was denied by two defenders after darting into the box.
In the closing seconds Lee Hales sparked a brief fracas with a frustrated late challenge on Adel Taarabt and was cautioned with the last kick of the match.
Brown said: "I thought we outplayed them in the second half. It was a superb response from the lads after a first half in which we showed them too much respect.
"I'm delighted with the way we played towards the end of the game and we have to make sure we start our next game like that. The average age of that side was 17 so it was a steep learning curve for them, but it was one they turned around and put in a decent performance."
West Ham United: Walker, O'Neil, Widdowson, N'Gala, Tomkins, Hales, Sears, Collison, Jeffrey, Hunt, Fitzgerald
Subs: Stanislas, Blackmore, Miller, Blackwell, Bowes
Tottenham Hotspur: Alnwick, Ifil, Daniels, Livermore, Archibald-Henville, Mills, Hutton, Lee, Barcham, Taarabt, Halfredsson
Subs: Hughton, Forecast, Mtandari, Fraser-Allen, Hutchins