West Ham 0-2 Fulham Post Match Thoughts & Is Leverkusen Mission Impossible Already?

West Ham’s indifferent recent form continued as they slumped to a 2-0 loss in front of a 62,459 strong crowd at the London Stadium to Fulham. Here are our post match talking points.

Fulham do the double over West Ham for the first time since 1965/66!

It’s quite a remarkable stat- this was the first time Fulham had done the league double over the Hammers since 1965/66. There was an opportunity for West Ham to leapfrog Manchester United in the league standings following the latter’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, but David Moyes’ side looked bereft of energy after an encouraging start (there was a shocking Antonio miss early in the fixture), and went down 2-0 to the Cottagers.

Was it right to sell the likes of Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma in the winter transfer window? The Hammers could’ve certainly done with the services of those two- the first choice XI have been played into the ground and looked gassed here- they managed only 3 shots in the second half (compared to 12 in the first half). Also look at Fulham’s bench for the clash- it was superior to what the Hammers put out.

Fulham lineup v West Ham 2024

Mistakes cost West Ham dear

West Ham’s defenders will not want to look at both Fulham goals again. The first one saw a mistake from Mavropanos, and the second saw some really lazy tracking back from the likes of Ben Johnson as he failed to keep pace with Andreas Pereira. Those are the kind of errors one can ill-afford while attempting to qualify for European football.

Chelsea could leapfrog the Hammers!

It might have seemed improbable a few months ago, but Chelsea are right in the mix for European footy currently and with Cole Palmer scoring for fun, one wouldn’t bet against them leapfrogging both West Ham and Manchester United in the league table come May. [Read more…]

Hammers beat Everton 3-1; Freiburg up next

An excellent performance from Alphonse Areola in goal, plus stoppage time goals from Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez (the latter’s first league one in WHUFC colours), gave West Ham a 3-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

The result, coupled with Man Utd’s 3-1 loss to City, means that the Hammers are now just two points behind sixth placed United in the table after GW27 [Read more…]

Preview- Everton (A)- Hammers start March with trip to Goodison Park

After registering their first league win of 2024 against Brentford last weekend, West Ham will look to make it two consecutive wins when they lock horns against Everton at Goodison Park this weekend. It’s also an emotional homecoming of sorts for Hammers boss David Moyes, who enjoyed some of his best years as manager at Everton in the 2000’s before taking up the Man United job. [Read more…]

West Ham starting lineup vs Brentford 2024- Paqueta returns to the starting XI

Lucas Paqueta makes a more than welcome return to the West Ham starting lineup as they take on Brentford in GW26’s final league game later today evening.

West Ham’s form was wretched in January without their talismanic Brazilian playmaker- they drew against Brighton, SUFC and Bournemouth, and lost to Arsenal (a 6-0 thumping), Man Utd and Nottingham Forest, and were also knocked out of the FA Cup.

This game is also a battle between two Umbro wearing teams- the Hammers and the Bees are two of the five top flight teams donning the double diamond in the Premier League this season [Read more…]

West Ham get Freiburg in the Round of 16

The Round of 16 draw for the Europa League has given West Ham familiar opponents in the form of Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. Bizarrely, the Hammers met the German side in the group stages of this very competition earlier this season, and won on both occasions. Unlike the UCL though, the laws for the EL draw do not prevent two sides from the same group from meeting again in the Ro16, and so we have three matchups that are a repeat of the GS clashes between the respective teams- West Ham v Freiburg, Sporting Lisbon v Atalanta and Qarabag v Leverkusen. [Read more…]

West Ham knocked out of FA Cup by Bristol City

West Ham’s disappointing start to the New Year continued as they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship outfit Bristol City. The original game at the London Stadium had ended in a 1-1 draw, with Tommy Conway’s strike on the hour mark cancelling out Jarrod Bowen’s opener.

The return leg at Ashton Gate went the way of the Robins though. Similar to Bowen’s earlier strike in the first leg, Conway netted in the 3rd minute of this tie to put Bristol City 1-0 up. [Read more…]

West Ham to face Bristol City in third round of FA Cup 2023/24

West Ham United will face Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup in January. The fixture is one of several third round ties pitting Premier League outfits against Championship opposition, and will be played at the London Stadium, with the Hammers holding home advantage.

Other notable Premier League v Championship teams ties in FA Cup third round 23/24 (apart from WHUFC v Bristol City)

Stoke v Brighton
Fulham v Rotherham
Sunderland v Newcastle
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa
Man City v Huddersfield
Chelsea v Preston

West Ham Fa Cup Third Round Draw 23-24

JWP 2 assists on West Ham debut; Antonio stunner & more- Talking points from West Ham 3-1 Chelsea

West Ham picked up three very unlikely points against Chelsea at the London Stadium on Sunday evening, with goals from Nayef Aguerd, Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta sealing victory against Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Here are our talking points from the clash.

2 assists from JWP on debut

He may not be the flashiest player, but James Ward-Prowse is very effective at his core skills, and he demonstrated it with two assists in this game against the Blues.

The warning signs were already sent to Chelsea with an early corner delivered by JWP, but they didn’t play heed to it, and the very next one resulted in a West Ham goal, with Nayef Aguerd nodding in JWP’s pinpoint delivery.

He also assisted Michail Antonio for a crucial goal in the second half when the game was still in the balance, and West Ham produced a fine defensive effort in the final minutes despite Aguerd’s red to hold on for a win.

There’s also talk of the Hammers being linked with Sevilla forward Youssuf En Nesyri, and his heading skills and JWP’s crosses could be a match made in heaven for Moyesball, if we’re to be honest!

West Ham starting lineup vs Chelsea 2023

Antonio stunner

He was pretty poor in the first half, but Michail Antonio produced the defining moment of the second half when he came up with a goal out of nothing to put the Hammers 2-1 up. It’s not normally the kind of finish you’d associate with Antonio (his long range efforts generally end up landing in Row Z), and it’s one we hope he can produce many more times!

Felipe Caicedo struggles on Chelsea debut

Chelsea brought Felipe Caicedo from the bench, but the Ecuadorean was off the pace and struggled to impose himself on the game. Both Antonio and Lucas Paqueta- the latter in particularly, seemed to get into his head, and he made two costly mistakes towards the end. One didn’t cost Chelsea, with Pablo Fornals missing the target, but the other did, with Paqueta converting the awarded spot kick to make it 3-1. [Read more…]

Third Kit, Paqueta Winning Assist & More- Talking points from Conference League Final

West Ham picked up their first piece of silverware in more than four decades as they edged Fiorentina 2-1 in Prague to lift the Conference League trophy. The final was a tight, cagey affair, with chances at a premium for both sides, but the Hammers did just enough to secure a historic triumph, with Lucas Paqueta’s brilliant last minute pass setting up Jarrod Bowen’s 90th minute winner.

Here are our talking points from the game in Prague

Hammers in third kit

With Fiorentina the designated home team for this clash, West Ham were forced to wear a change strip for the final, and they opted to wear their white and orange third kit for this historic clash in the Czech capital. [Read more…]

Talking points from West Ham 2-2 Arsenal (2022-23 season)

West Ham claimed a priceless point in their fight against the drop as they held league leaders Arsenal to a draw at the London Stadium. Here are our talking points from the game.

Hammers prevent Arsenal away clean sweep of London opposition

Arsenal had beaten every other London based Premier League club away from home this season (Brentford, Chelsea, Spurs and Fulham), but were prevented from making a clean sweep by the Hammers. And given the two teams’ recent league form, one wouldn’t have expected West Ham to be able to halt Mikel Arteta’s all-conquering side in their tracks.

Moyes makes eight changes

David Moyes made eight changes to the side that drew away at Gent in the first leg of their UECL QF tie on Thursday. Vladimir Coufal, Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen were the only three players that kept their places. [Read more…]

KAA Gent 1-1 West Ham | Hammers held in first leg of UECL quarter-final

West Ham’s ten-game unbeaten run in the Conference League was halted by KAA Gent, who held David Moyes’ side to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UECL quarterfinal at the Ghelamco Arena.

The Hammers took the lead through Danny Ings on the stroke of half time, only for Hugo Cuypers to equalise for the hosts before the hour mark.

The winner of this UECL quarter-final will take on the winner of the Anderlecht-AZ one in the semis. RSCA beat AZ 2-0 in their first leg tie, which means an all-Belgian semi-final remains a possibility. [Read more…]

Opponent watch- Silkeborg lose 3-2 to Horsens ahead of Hammers clash

West Ham’s Conference League opponents Silkeborg lost 3-2 to AC Horsens in their Danish league clash over the weekend. Sebastian Jorgensen scored twice for the visitors, who played most of the second half with ten men following a red card to centre back Tobias Salquist. ACH won the game thanks to a late penalty from Anders Jacobsen.

The Hammers go into the clash after having beaten Bournemouth 2-0 at home. A point against Silkeborg will confirm progress as group winners for David Moyes’ men.

Silkeborg lineup vs Horsens 2022 [Read more…]

Rice & Dawson | West Ham players in Europa League Team of the Season for 2021-22

West Ham captain Declan Rice and defender Craig Dawson have both received their awards for featuring in the Europa League Team of the Year for 21/22. WHUFC reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt.

There are four Frankfurt players in the XI (Trapp, Hinteregger, Kostic, Borre), three Rangers players (Bassey, Tavernier, Kent) and two each from West Ham and Leipzig (Nkunku, Laimer). Leipzig, like the Hammers, were losing semi-finalists.

Europa League Team of the Season 2021-22 [Read more…]

West Ham 2-1 Anderlecht- Hammers qualify for next round

Two fine goals from Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen helped West Ham maintain their 100% record in the Conference League as they beat Belgian side Anderlecht 2-1 at the London Stadium. The Hammers had a couple of nervy moments at the end following Sebastiano Esposito’s 89th minute spot kick, but held on to claim three important points. [Read more…]

Anderlecht beat KV Mechelen 3-1 with 4-4-2 formation ahead of West Ham Europa clash

West Ham’s next opponents, RSC Anderlecht, won their Belgian league game by the exact scoreline that the Hammers won their PL fixture by (3-1). Like WHUFC, RSCA also had to come from behind in this clash, with youngster Mario Stroeykens netting a brace and loanee Fabio Silva scoring their third.

A welcome result for RSCA, who had shockingly lost to Charleroi before their UECL clash against the Hammers at home earlier this month.

Two big games coming up for RSCA- one against David Moyes’ men in London followed by a blockbuster domestic clash against Club Brugge.

Pro League (1)

West Ham vs Fulham 2022/23 Lineups- Fornals starts ahead of injured Cornet

Here is a look at the starting lineups for West Ham vs Fulham on October 9, 2022 (22/23 season). Only one change for West Ham from the side that did the business against Wolves, and an injury enforced one at that, with Pablo Fornals replacing Cornet on the left wing.

West Ham vs Fulham Lineup 2022-23

Here is a look at the starting XI put out by Fulham coach Marco Silva as well, with Palhinha returning from suspension for the visitors. [Read more…]

Opponent watch- Anderlecht lose 1-0 to Charleroi in Belgian Pro League

West Ham’s next Europa Conference League opponents- RSC Anderlecht, suffered a shock 1-0 loss at home to Sporting Charleroi over the weekend. Ryota Morioka netted in the 65th minute to help Charleroi leapfrog RSCA in the league table- WHUFC’s UECL opponents are now 10th in the standings, 14 points behind leaders Antwerp.

Pro League [Read more…]

Scamacca, Bowen give Hammers much needed win

Goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Jarrod Bowen- the first of the current Premier League campaign for both players, saw West Ham pick up three much needed points as they edged fellow strugglers Wolves 2-0 at the London Stadium in their first game after the September international break. The Hammers have traditionally been poor just after the international break in recent seasons, but were able to beat Bruno Lage’s side for only their second PL win of the season as they climbed out of the drop zone. [Read more…]

Starting lineups West Ham vs Wolves 2022/23- Cornet in starting XI

West Ham have made three changes as they prepare to take on Wolves this evening (2022/23 season, October 1). There is a rare start for Maxwel Cornet on the left wing, with Pablo Fornals dropping to the bench. The other two switches come in the form of Scamacca and Dawson, who replace Antonio and Coufal respectively.

Wolves have Semedo in for the suspended Collins, and their new signing Diego Costa is on the bench.

Wolves starting XI vs West Ham 2022 [Read more…]

Rice’s England and Kehrer’s Germany play out 3-3 Nations League draw

West Ham team mates Declan Rice and Thilo Kehrer were at opposite ends of the pitch for the England-Germany Nations League clash. The fixture ended in a 3-3 draw, with all six goals coming after the interval.

Both Rice and Kehrer played 90 minutes, but according to German paper Bild, neither were very effective on the pitch. Rice got a 4 rating for his performance while Kehrer given a 5 (1 is the best rating in this system)

Kehrer also got a yellow card in this fixture- Rice wasn’t booked though.

ENG DEUTSCH RATINGS

Areola’s France beat Austria, lose to Denmark

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had mixed success with the French national team on international duty, with Les Bleus winning one game (v Austria) and losing another (vs Denmark)

Areola was a half time substitute for Mike Maignan in the Austria game, which the French won 2-0 thanks to two second half goals. He started and played the full 90 against Denmark, with Les Bleus falling to a 2-0 defeat in Copenhagen.

Noted French paper L’Equipe gave Areola a 5/10 rating against Denmark, with opposite number Kasper Schmeichel getting a 8/10.

FRA DEN

International Update- Scamacca’s Italy beat Rice’s England 1-0, Emerson comes off bench

Gianluca Scamacca started for Italy as they beat Declan Rice’s England 1-0 in their Nations League clash. The forward played 63 minutes before he was replaced by Leeds youngster Wilfried Gnonto. The solitary goal of the game came from Scamacca’s striking partner Giacomo Raspadori, who netted midway through the second half.

Another West Ham player- left back Emerson Palmieri was a late substitute for Italy as he came for Chelsea’s Jorginho. Jarrod Bowen was unused.

Rice, paired with Jude Bellingham in midfield, played the full 90.

Italy England Lineups

Bowen & Rice- West Ham players in England Nations League Squad for September 2022

Skipper Declan Rice and winger Jarrod Bowen have both been named in England’s Nations League squad for their upcoming games against Germany and Italy later this month.

Bowen’s recent form for club has been a tad iffy, but Gareth Southgate has chosen to keep him in his plans.

The duo are likely to face West Ham team mates on international duty (Kehrer for Germany and Scamacca/Emerson for Italy)

England Squad Nations League September 2022

Europa Qualification still possible, Michail Antonio breaks league scoring drought & More- Norwich City 0-4 West Ham

West Ham bounced back from their disappointing Europa League semifinal defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt as they hammered Norwich City 4-0 at Carrow Road. Here are our talking points from the game against the Canaries.

EL qualification still possible

Manchester United’s 4-0 capitulation against Brighton means West Ham have Europa League qualification in their own hands again. Beat Man City (easier said than done of course!) and the Seagulls, and the Hammers will finish above the Red Devils. Ralf Rangnick’s side have an inferior goal difference (+1 to West Ham’s +11) and are facing Crystal Palace on the final day of the season. [Read more…]

West Ham Related Hashtags on Twitter- What do WHTID, COYI, IFBB and others mean?

Social media often tends to be a great place to find out fellow West Ham fans. Here are a few West Ham related words/terms that you can use on Twitter and other famous social media platforms like Instagram to find out content and opinions related to the club. On Twitter, for example, just searching COYI will bring up tweets that have the term. [Read more…]

Home Kit without Sponsor, Vlasic chance, great Rice tackles & more- Talking Points from Sevilla 1-0 West Ham First Leg

West Ham gave a decent account of themselves but were beaten 1-0 by Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie. The Hammers had Declan Rice back from illness, but were without in-form winger Jarrod Bowen, with Nikola Vlasic handed a rare start. Here are our talking points from the game at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. [Read more…]

West Ham vs Sevilla- Last team to beat Andalusians in UEL knockout tie had Kral, Soucek and Coufal in it

West Ham have been handed a tough draw in the form of Spanish outfit Sevilla for their Europa League Round of 16 clash. After Barcelona, the Andalusians were probably the toughest side that the Hammers could’ve drawn at this stage- they have an incredible record in the Europa League and have won 27 of the 28 UEL knockout ties they’ve played in the competition since 2013. [Read more…]

Two goals in two for Dawson, rare Rice mistake, Moyes vs Benrahma incident & more- Talking points from West Ham 1-1 Newcastle

West Ham fans endured another frustrating weekend as they drew 1-1 with relegation threatened Newcastle in GW26. Here are our talking points from the game at the London Stadium as the Hammers ceded ground to their rivals in the race for fourth place.

Two goals in two for Dawson: The central defender hadn’t scored a goal in the league all season before his stoppage time equaliser against Leicester. He now has 2 in as many games following this opener against the Magpies.

Given that set pieces appear to be West Ham’s most likely source of goals currently [Read more…]

Recent West Ham vs Newcastle H2H- At least two goals in every league game since 2015

West Ham take on Newcastle in the first Premier League game of the weekend, and here’s an interesting little stat ahead of this clash at the London Stadium.

The last 12 league meetings between the Hammers and the Magpies have ALL produced at least two or more goals, and one has to go back to 2014 for the last time there were fewer than two goals in this fixture. [Read more…]

First Yellow Card of the Season for Cresswell, Soucek & Coufal poor- Talking points & analysis from Leicester 2-2 West Ham

With Manchester United having drawn against Southampton and Spurs having lost to Wolves over the weekend, West Ham had a golden opportunity to solidify their own top four credentials against a struggling Leicester side. However a poor performance at the King Power Stadium saw David Moyes’ men squander that chance, and they could perhaps count themselves lucky to emerge with a point here thanks to Michael Dawson’s stoppage time header.

Here are our main talking points from this LCFC v WHUFC clash [Read more…]

Referee announced for Leicester vs West Ham announced- Same as August 2021 clash

The referee for Leicester vs West Ham later this evening will be the same person who took charge of the reverse fixture between these two sides at the London Stadium earlier this season. West Ham won that game 4-1 and Leicester had Ayoze Perez sent off just before the interval [Read more…]

First goal conceded from a corner by West Ham, Tale of two halves for Michail Antonio- Talking Points from Chelsea game

West Ham handed league leaders Chelsea a rare defeat as they stunned Thomas Tuchel’s men 3-2 at the London Stadium. The Hammers came into this game as underdogs on the back of disappointing results against Wolves and Brighton. Their defence was also weakened by the absence of both Aaron Cresswell and Angelo Ogbonna, which meant a first league start of the campaign for Issa Diop. However David Moyes’ men produced a fine second half performance to come from behind twice and edge this five goal thriller.

West Ham starting lineup vs Chelsea 2021 December

Here are our talking points from the game.

First goal conceded from a corner by West Ham in the 2021/22 Premier League season

Stunning as it might be to believe, Thiago Silva’s 29th minute opener was the first goal the Hammers had conceded from a corner in the league this season. The veteran Brazilian was given a free header, with Michail Antonio’s marking very suspect. It was also the forward who was robbed off the ball by Chelsea in the counter attacking move that lead to the corner.

Tale of two halves for Antonio

As mentioned above, Antonio was poor in the first half- he failed to hold on to the ball and gave away possession cheaply on several occasions as Chelsea bossed the game. [Read more…]

Everton 100% home record broken, Soucek vs Rondon & More- Talking points from Everton 0-1 West Ham

A second half set piece goal from Angelo Ogbonna saw West Ham leapfrog Everton in the league table as they came away with a fine 1-0 win from Goodison Park. Here are our talking points from today afternoon’s clash.

First Everton home league defeat of the 21/22 season:

Everton had won all three of their home league games in 2021/22 at Goodison Park prior to this game, which meant this was the first PL home defeat of the season for Rafa Benitez’s men.

It was an impressive scalp on the road given Everton’s general success against West Ham in the league (their record against the Hammers is their best against any Premier League team) [Read more…]

Michail Antonio Goals 21/22 | List of Antonio goals for West Ham this current 2021-22 season

Here is a look at the list of goals scored by striker Michail Antonio for West Ham United in the current 2021/2022 Premier League and Europa League season.

(last updated on 8 May, 2022 after Antonio goal v Norwich)

Game, opponent, time/minute at which Antonio scored and Match Week number (9 goals in league)

Newcastle 2-4 West Ham 15 August 2021 (1 goal, 66′)- Week 1
West Ham 4-1 Leicester 23 August 2021 ( 2 goals, 80′ and 84′)- Week 2
West Ham 2-2 Crystal Palace 28 August 2021 (1 goal, 68′)- Week 3
Leeds 1-2 West Ham 25 September 2021 (1 goal, 90′)- Week 6 [Read more…]

Soucek scores first international hat trick for the Czech Republic against Estonia

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek scored his maiden international hat trick for the Czech Republic as they beat Estonia 6-2 in World Cup qualifying.

Soucek scored the Czech Republic’s third, fourth and fifth goals of the game as they came from behind to register a 6-2 triumph.

Soucek first goal (32nd minute: Estonia 1-3 Czech Republic, Jakub Jankto assist)
Soucek second goal (43rd minute: Estonia 1-4 Czech Republic, Patrick Schick assist)
Soucek third goal (48th minute: Estonia 1-5 Czech Republic, Pavel Kaderabek assist)

Soucek played the full 90 minutes against Estonia. His Hammers team mate Vladimir Coufal was an unused substitute in the same game. [Read more…]

Talking points from Hammers v Arsenal

A thrilling Premier League fixture saw West Ham and Arsenal play out an exciting 3-3 draw before the international break. Here are our talking points from the clash at the London Stadium.

Hammers score two own goals: West Ham became the first top flight side since Swansea in 2017 to score two own goals in the same game. The first one was from Tomas Soucek, who had himself found the back of the net at the other end just minutes before, and the second came from Craig Dawson.

So, in a rather bizarre turn of events, the Hammers actually scored five goals in the game, but didn’t end up on the winning side!

Michail Antonio’s vital miss: At 3-2, Said Benrahma fashioned an excellent chance for Michail Antonio, only for the forward to hit the post from virtually point-blank range. [Read more…]

Talking Points from West Ham 2-0 Leeds United

A tough win: The scoreline might not suggest it, but this was far from comfortable for West Ham. Leeds had three or four excellent second half chances, and had Patrick Bamford been more clinical in front of goal, this could have easily gone the other way.

Nevertheless, given that was the final game of the round, and the Hammers were 7th going into it following wins for both Tottenham and Chelsea, it was an excellent result to get them back into fifth. They are just behind fourth placed Chelsea but do have a game in hand over the Blues.

Leeds have two goals disallowed in the first 7 minutes: Apart from the second half chances they created, Leeds had two goals disallowed in the opening 7 minutes of the game. One was clear cut- the ball had clearly gone out of play before Raphinha’s cross, but the other was tighter, and it was by a very small margin that Helder Costa was ruled offside for Tyler Roberts’ goal.

Leeds dominated the opening 15 odd minutes, with 70% of the ball, and had they scored in that period, this might have been a tough evening for the Hammers.

Both loanees score for West Ham: “Jesse Lingard and Craig Dawson score for West Ham as they maintain their CL hopes” is certainly not the headline Hammers fans would have had in mind at this time last year!

The goals came in the 21st and 27th minutes of the game- an excellent response after Leeds had been in total control for the opening 15 odd minutes. [Read more…]

Talking points from Man City 2-1 West Ham

Hammers outscore City on xG

How many times do you see City beaten on xG? Not often, but this was one such rare occasion. Under David Moyes, West Ham aren’t really what you’d call an attacking side, but this shows that they defended pretty well and created more clear cut chances than Pep Guardiola’s side.

As Pep himself said after the match, they realised after 10-15 minutes that today “wasn’t the day to paint something beautiful” and was simply one “to take three points”

Both City goals scored by defenders: A moment of genius from the returning Kevin de Bruyne, who had been off-colour till then, saw City take the lead through Ruben Dias- the Portuguese’s first in the league for City. Interestingly, both Dias and central defensive partner John Stones were in the box well after the original corner in the buildup to the goal had been taken!

Stones scored the second after the interval. Not often that you see two defenders scoring in a team blessed with attacking talent as City are, but this was one such occasion. [Read more…]

Two great chances for Fornals, Haller unimpressive & more- Talking Points from Liverpool 2-1 West Ham

West Ham very nearly extended their unbeaten league to five games but were undone by a late goal from substitute Diogo Jota as defending champions Liverpool won a hard fought clash at Anfield. Here are our talking points from this Game Week 7 fixture.

Pablo Fornals scores with the first shot of the game:

Pablo Fornals put the Hammers ahead in the 10th minute with a nicely placed shot- also the very first of the game for either side. Also lovely buildup play from the Hammers for the goal- they began the move from inside their own half, with Arthur Masuaku and Angelo Ogbonna both playing key passes to initiate the move.

But messes up two key chances

Given the way West Ham were set up (5-4-1), they need to make the most of their limited opportunities if they had to beat the Reds. Fornals took the first one well, but they were two other equally decent opportunities in the second half that he made a mess of- first in the 50th minute when he attempted a weak sliding shot from a Cresswell cross that should’ve been ideally left for Jarrod Bowen, and another in the 65th minute when he could’ve squared to the unmarked Bowen, but chose to take the shot himself.

The Spaniard had a very decent game otherwise, but those were two glorious opportunities that had to be taken.

A disappointing mistake from Arthur Masuaku

West Ham’s plan had worked almost perfectly for 42 minutes- grab an early goal and soak up the pressure. Liverpool’s front three were reduced to feeding on scraps. At this point, Masuaku unfortunately chose to make contact with Salah in the box, and referee Kevin Friend awarded a penalty. It was a needless penalty to give away and allowed the Reds a crucial goal before half time.

Masuaku had a very good game offensively, but he can be a liability defensively at times, and this was a frustrating error.

Jota and Shaqiri extend Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 63 games

The pair of Diogo Jota and Xherdan Shaqiri came off the bench to combine for Liverpool’s winner, just as they had done in midweek against Mitdjylland. Jota had a goal disallowed a few minutes earlier, but there was no doubting this one, with Shaqiri’s nutmeg pass setting up the Portuguese star for an easy finish.

LIV WHU 2

Sebastien Haller unimpressive

With Liverpool missing Van Dijk, Matip and Fabinho, Sebastien Haller had a good opportunity to make a strong case for himself. However he came up second best in his duel against the 23 year old Nat Phillips, who was making his league debut for the Reds.

Apart from a flick on in the second half that could’ve lead to a goal (the one Fornals should’ve squared for Bowen but didn’t), Haller did precious little of note. It was another disappointing evening for the French star.

The game also saw a club debut for Said Benrahma, but he was introduced too late to have any kind of impact. David Moyes was initially planning to bring on Ryan Fredericks to keep things tight defensively, but Jota’s 85th minute goal changed matters, and he then sent on both Benrahma and Lanzini, but there was to be no repeat of the miraculous last minute equaliser against Spurs.

Liverpool 2 (Salah pen, Jota) West Ham 1 (Fornals)

Tomas Soucek 2nd in the list for distance covered in the 2019-20 Champions League season

Tomas Soucek has been quite a revelation since joining West Ham from Slavia and has forged a very nice partnership with Declan Rice in the centre of the park for the Hammers. The Czech star has been fantastic in his role as a box to box midfielder, and technical data has now revealed that he was second in the list for average distance covered in the 2019/20 Champions League season.

Soucek featured in all six of Slavia Prague’s Champions League games last season and played every minute of their CL campaign in 2019/20. In those games, he covered an average distance of 12.69 km, the second highest among the competition’s players, as shown in the stats below. The top performer was also a Slavia player (Petr Sevcik with 13.47), while Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic, the 2018/19 season winner, came third with 12.48. [Read more…]

Fornals lies on the ground behind the wall for KdB free kick, no Lanzini minutes & more- Talking Points from West Ham 1-1 Man City October 23 2020

West Ham continued their impressive recent run as they held Pep Guardiola’s Man City to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium. Here are our talking points from this Game Week 6 fixture.

Pablo Fornals lying on the ground behind the wall for Kevin de Bruyne free kick:

This was an interesting tactic from West Ham, presumably to stop de Bruyne from going low when the wall jumped. The game was tied at 1-1 at that stage, with the Belgian maestro standing over the ball in a dangerous position. Will we see other teams adopting it in the future against KdB?

No minutes for Lanzini:

It was perhaps slightly surprising that Manuel Lanzini, the scorer of the stunning equaliser against Spurs last week, didn’t even make if off the bench for this clash.

Towards the end of the game, the Hammers had a very nice opportunity to make it 2-1, but a tired Pablo Fornals couldn’t quite execute a chip over City keeper Ederson in a 1v1 situation. Would a fresh Lanzini have been able to do that? Perhaps yes…

Speaking of substitutions, it was also worth noting that when Michail Antonio had to come off early in the second half, it was Andriy Yarmolenko who was his replacement and not Sebastien Haller. Yarmolenko stayed on the wing, with Jarrod Bowen occupying a more central position. When Haller did eventually come on, he had to wait for nearly TEN minutes for his first touch, and it was a defensive clearance at that! [Read more…]

Andriy Yarmolenko the unsung hero, Ogbonna “assist” for Lanzini stunner & more- Talking Points from Tottenham 3-3 West Ham

Manuel Lanzini scored a fantastic 94th minute goal of the season contender as West Ham produced a stunning comeback at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Jose Mourinho’s Spurs on Sunday evening. Here are our talking points from this GW5 clash.

Andriy Yarmolenko the unsung hero:

Yarmolenko had a massive impact off the bench- it was he who set up Vladimir Coufal with a lovely pass in the move that eventually saw Davinson Sanchez score an own goal to make it 3-2.

We’ve often criticised the Ukrainian for his lack of defensive work, but his tracking back for Gareth Bale’s 91st minute chance was fanastic. Aaron Cresswell seemed to have given up, and Bale was one on one with Lukasz Fabianski after having got past Angelo Ogbonna with ease, but in came Yarmolenko, who had sprinted past Cresswell, and he put Bale off balance just enough for the Welsh star to squander his chance.

Ogbonna “assist” helps West Ham

Another moment, perhaps as important as Yarmolenko’s defensive intervention, came from Angelo Ogbonna. He effectively blocked the onrushing Harry Winks just as Lanzini was about to take his 94th minute shot, and gave the Argentine just that extra bit of space and time. It will not go down as an assist in the books, but it was as good as one. [Read more…]

No shots on target for Leicester, Vladimir Coufal impressive on debut & more- Talking Points from LCFC 0-3 West Ham

West Ham produced a near-flawless away performance as they handed Leicester City their first loss of the 2020/21 Premier League season. The Foxes, coming off a fine 5-2 win at the Etihad against Man City last weekend, were aiming to win the opening four games of a top flight season for the first time in their history, but were outclassed by the visitors at the King Power Stadium.

Here are our talking points from the game.

No shot on target for Leicester: Bizarre as it may sound, Leicester, who had put five past Pep Guardiola’s City in Round 3, failed to register even a single shot on target in this game. It’s only the third time the Foxes have failed to do at home in the modern Premier League era.

Brendan Rodgers’ men had nearly 70% of possession and 670 passes to the Hammers’ 291, but could simply not find a way through as the visitors defended resolutely. Harvey Barnes did manage to find the back of the net in second half stoppage time (a very nice team goal btw), but it was reversed by VAR.

For a team that’s been defensively vulnerable, especially on the road, this was a fine, fine performance from West Ham and a well deserved clean sheet for Lukasz Fabianski.

LEIWHU

Vladimir Coufal impressive on debut: The new Czech signing made his debut at right back in place of the injured Ryan Fredericks and put in a very assured performance here. Going up against Harvey Barnes away from home isn’t easy by any stretch of imagination, but Coufal set the tone for the game when he won an early 5th minute free kick against the Leicester winger.

In the 16th minute, he put in a nice tackle to stop Jamie Vardy in his tracks after the latter had turned Angelo Ogbonna inside out, and in the 22nd minute, he went over to the other side to stop a Castagne cross that could’ve easily resulted in a Leicester goal. [Read more…]

Disappointing loss, Wilson continues to torment & More- Talking Points from West Ham 0-2 Newcastle

West Ham’s 2020/21 league season started on a disappointing note as they went down 2-0 at home to Newcastle United. Jeff Hendrick and Callum Wilson were on target for Steve Bruce’s Magpies at the London Stadium. Here are our talking points from the game.

Is the Grady Diangana transfer still affecting the players?

On paper, this was a very winnable game, and given West Ham’s tough starting fixture list, it was a game David Moyes would’ve targetted for at least a point, if not all three.

The players weren’t clearly happy with the situation regarding Grady Diangana’s transfer and one wonders if it’s affected their morale. With the next set of fixtures reading Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester, Spurs, Man City and Liverpool, there is every chance the Hammers might only get their first points of the season in November!

Hammers go in the same attacking formation as they did at the end of 19/20 season

Moyes made only one change from the side that had faced Aston Villa on the final day of the 2019/20 season, with Aaron Cresswell coming in at left back for Ben Johnson. That meant a repeat of the 4-2-3-1 formation with skipper Mark Noble again effectively playing as a 10, Pablo Fornals on the left wing, Antonio alone upfront, and the troika of Anderson, Sebastien Haller and Manuel Lanzini on the bench.

Lanzini didn’t even make it off the bench while Anderson, the club’s second most expensive player, only had a minute or so of action. [Read more…]

Easiest win of the season for West Ham, Norwich relegated, All five subs used, first away win for Moyes & more- Talking Points from NCFC 0-4 West Ham

Norwich City were officially relegated as West Ham put four past them at Carrow Road earlier this afternoon. The 4-0 win for the Hammers, plus the 2-0 victory over the Canaries at the London Stadium earlier this season saw them complete a league double over Daniel Farke’s men- their first one over Norwich since 1973.

Manager David Moyes made only one change from the side that had lost 1-0 to Burnley, with skipper Mark Noble returning to take his spot in the starting lineup. Here are our talking points from the game.

Easiest league win of the season for West Ham: This was perhaps West Ham’s easiest league win of the 19/20 campaign so far. Norwich were abysmal- a side resigned to their fate, and much of the game, the second half in particular, resembled a training ground exercise for West Ham. Michail Antonio looked like prime Messi and scored four goals in the fixture- the only West Ham player to do so in the modern Premier League era. Antonio was also the first WHUFC player to score a hat trick since Andy Carroll four years ago. [Read more…]