West Ham United took on Chelsea in the Premier League in search of three priceless points at the London stadium on Saturday. The Hammers’ appointed their new manager David Moyes a few weeks ago, but he has struggled so far with his new employers. West Ham were in 19th place in the league standings prior to the game knowing that an upset would be enough for them to take a step closer to safety in their attempts to get out of the dreaded relegation zone.
David Moyes matched Chelsea and lined up in a 3-5-1-1 formation and his gamble paid off when Marko Arnautovic scored an early goal after he curled in a clever left footed shot. The Hammers defended valiantly to go into half-time with a 1-0 advantage.
The West Ham defence put in a strong second-half performance to deny Chelsea the equaliser and secured a crucial victory that will go a long way in their quest to save themselves from a possible relegation. This win marks as David Moyes’ first victory in charge of West Ham and he will be hoping that its the first of many.
Let’s take a look at how each West Ham United player fared in the London derby.
GK: Adrian – 7/10
The Spanish goalkeeper justified his place in the starting eleven by making some good saves to keep the Chelsea attackers at bay. The 30-year-old did his job well whenever he was called into action in the second half.
CB: Winston Reid – 7/10
He led the West Ham defence well and performed brilliantly to keep a clean sheet.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna – 6/10
The Italian kept his head under pressure and settled in well at the heart of the West Ham defence.
CB: Aaron Cresswell – 9/10
He was superb all throughout the game and did well to deliver some overhead balls for the Hammers’ attackers to feed off.
RM: Pablo Zabaleta – 7/10
The Argentine used every bit of his experience and looked assured on the right flank. He neutralised the threat of Marcos Alonso and put in an industrious performance.
CM: Manuel Lanzini – 8/10
He was the liaison between the West Ham midfield and their attackers. The Argentine linked up well with Arnautovic in the build-up to the opener.
CM: Mark Noble – 6/10
The veteran midfielder chased the Chelsea midfielders well and put in a tireless shift at the centre of the park.
CM: Pedro Obiang – 6/10
The Spanish midfielder was alert to the dangers possessed by the Chelsea attackers and made sure he was there to break up any move that threatened his defenders.
LM: Arthur Masuaku – 9/10
Arguably, he was the man of the match. The left-footed winger was brave and strong in possession and left Zappacosta for dead at times with his mazy dribbles. He did his defensive job as well and tracked back when facing his own goal.
CAM: Marko Arnautovic – 8/10
The Austrian scored the only goal of the game and it can turn out to be a priceless one if the Hammers manage to avoid the drop at the end of the season.
ST: Michail Antonio – 7/10
The makeshift striker was tireless throughout the game and didn’t let the Chelsea defenders settle on the ball. His off-the-ball runs gave the Hammers’ defenders an outlet to spray their overhead long balls.
Substitutes:
ST: Diafra Sakho – 5/10
He came on to freshen up the West Ham attack but couldn’t impact the game in a meaningful way.
LM: Andre Ayew – 5/10
He was unimpressive but did well to hold on to the ball when called upon.
