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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

July 11, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

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…]

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First start of the year for Yarmolenko, Burnley double over Hammers for the first time in 73 years & More- Talking Points from West Ham 0-1 Burnley

July 9, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham’ inconsistent run continued as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley. Chris Wood, the Hammers’ chief tormentor in recent years, wasn’t even required as a goal off the shoulder of Jay Rodriguez gave the Clarets all three points at the London Stadium.

Here are our talking points from the fixture.

Burnley do a rare league double over West Ham: This was Burnley’s first league double over the Hammers in 73 years. They had beaten West Ham 3-0 at Turf Moor earlier this season, and this 1-0 win saw them complete a rare league double over their rivals.

The Clarets have now won four of their last five games against the Hammers, and seem to have become a bit of a hoodoo side for them.

starting lineup v burnley

Yarmolenko’s first start of the year: Andriy Yarmolenko’s performances against Chelsea and Newcastle, coupled with poor form from the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson saw David Moyes give the Ukrainian his first start of the calendar year alongside Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen in a 4-2-3-1. We thought it would be with Fornals in the centre- the Spaniard has appeared isolated on the wing at times, but it was originally with Bowen in the centre, Fornals on the left and Yarmolenko on the right. [Read more…]

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Soucek & Antonio again on the scoresheet, Wait for two consecutive league wins continues & more- Talking Points from Newcastle 2-2 West Ham

July 8, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham took the lead twice, but had to settle for a point at St.James’ Park against Newcastle. The Hammers probably edged Steve Bruce’s side on the day and looked good for all three points, a draw wasn’t a terrible result either, especially given Newcastle’s form at home and West Ham’s abysmal run on the road.

Here are our talking points from the game.

Goals again for Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio: They got on the scoresheet in the 3-2 win over Chelsea, and Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio were again on target for the Hammers here. Antonio was virtually gifted his by Jamaal Lascelles, while Soucek finished well from close range after Declan Rice’s initial effort had rebounded off the bar.

The Hammers have struggled for consistency in the goal scoring department, and it’s rare to see players find the back of the net in consecutive league games.

Wait for two consecutive league wins continues: While goals have been tough to come by, West Ham have also never won two consecutive league games in David Moyes’ second stint. For a while, this looked like they might break the duck, but it eventually ended up being another case of points lost from winning positions (apparently West Ham have squandered 24 such points this season according to the commentators!)

Fornals error proves costly: It was an error from Jamaal Lascelles that gifted West Ham their opener, but it was a similar gift from Pablo Fornals that lead to the Newcastle equaliser. The Spaniard made a mess of the offside trap as he stood in the background- a costly, costly error. Fornals did some good things in this game- he had a crucial hand in the opener, but this was a disappointing mistake. [Read more…]

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Talking points from West Ham 3-2 Chelsea | Three priceless points in the fight against the drop

July 5, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham finally picked up a much needed win as they upset Chelsea 3-2 at the London Stadium. Here are our talking points from the game.

Three massive points for the Hammers: These were three absolutely vital points for West Ham. Coming against an in-form opposition side aiming for Champions League football, the Hammers were outsiders despite having home advantage.

It was also a rare game when the Hammers came from a goal behind to win the fixture. It doesn’t happen often, which makes it all the more memorable.

Hammers overcome disappointment of disallowed goal: West Ham’s shoulders could’ve easily slumped- they had an early goal for Tomas Soucek disallowed by the barest of margins, and then saw Chelsea take the lead through the penalty spot. That twin disappointment could’ve buried this side on other occasions, but not this one- Soucek himself spearheaded the comeback, and Andriy Yarmolenko scored what could be one of the most important goals in his West Ham career.

Michail Antonio plays a crucial role: Antonio scored the goal that put West Ham 2-1 ahead, and his passing (not his strongest point), set up Yarmolenko for the late winner. It’s important to seize the big moments when you’re a potential candidate for the drop, and he certainly did so here.

Losing debut for the Blues: Chelsea had unveiled their new kit with much fanfare earlier in the day. It had a new sponsor in the form of 3, and they ended up conceding three goals!

West Ham must make the most of an easy future fixture list: This was perhaps the last of the tough games, but West Ham have an easier run-in than most of their fellow strugglers. They must make the most of it and ensure survival.

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Felipe Anderson disappointing, Adama Traore the punisher, Rice at CB & More- Talking Points from West Ham v Wolves

June 23, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham’s disappointing season continued as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening. A rare recent defeat for the Hammers under Anthony Taylor, and a fourth consecutive win against WHUFC for Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo (with a combined 8-0 scoreline in favour of the Midlands outfit). An even more disappointing result given that fellow strugglers Brighton and Watford both managed to pick up something from their games against Arsenal and Leicester respectively.

Here is a look at the talking points from the game.

Woeful Felipe Anderson: It was another disappointing day at the office for West Ham’s star Brazilian, as has unfortunately been the case for most of this season. He was expected to be the Hammers’ key attacking threat, but did little of note, and was subbed off midway through the second half for Manuel Lanzini.

There was one occasion early in the first half when West Ham had a promising opportunity on the counter after a Wolves corner. Anderson found himself on a 1 on 1 with Ruben Neves on the wing, and you would’ve backed an in-form version of the Brazilian to get past Neves. Instead the latter comfortably nicked the ball off him, and put in a delightful diagonal that very nearly resulted in Wolves scoring at the other end.

There’s even a video circulating on social media of Anderson missing an attempt from point blank range during the warm up- perhaps a sign of what was to come during the actual game. A fit and firing Anderson would greatly aid West Ham’s quest for survival, but he’s gone missing too many times this season.

Traore the punisher: Adama Traore had scored the winner in the corresponding fixture last season and he was again West Ham’s tormentor-in-chief here.

While Wolves was the better side, their dominance didn’t show on the scoreline until Traore was unleashed off the bench. He was a constant menace down the right wing, brushing off opposition players as if they weren’t there, and causing all kinds of problems with his pace and strength. It was a delightful Traore cross that lead to Diogo Jota scoring the opener. [Read more…]

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