This was my first match since the Brighton fiasco, and I have to say I have rather enjoyed the break. If it wasn’t for my sense of responsibility to El Jefe I might have done what I did during the Great Escape season. After the 3-4 loss to Spurs at home, a game that gave me nightmares for months, I stopped watching. We started winning, and I was told by fellow Hammers that under no circumstances was I allowed to watch until the end of the season. So I played my superstitious part in staying up. But here I sat, both nervous and apathetic, watching yet another under achieving group of footballers in Claret & Blue, run by our own version of Ringling Brothers. It’s not like Southampton were mugs. They were terrific at Anfield a few weeks ago, they have a very strong record away from home, and to come back from a 9-0 thrashing like they did earlier this year is worthy of serious praise.
I guess I’m glad I watched.
If there has ever been a defensive unit worse at the simple back pass than the current West Ham side, I haven’t seen it. In the 8th minute, Diop sent another horrible one back to Fabianski that our keeper had to take on a bounce and fumbled out for a Southampton throw. The visitors worked out a corner, and despite a good header from Haller West Ham struggled to clear the ball from danger. The Saints kept the ball in the West Ham area, winning a second corner a few minutes later. The Hammers cleared, and were able to break. Antonio rolled a pass to Bowen, but his shot was blocked out for a corner. The Hammers couldn’t capitalize, and Noble owes Rice a meal for saving him from two terrible passes.
“Champagne Jarrod Bowen. If you say it fast it sounds like Jeroboam” Nigel Kahn texted me after the match. After the initial surprise that my good mate and devout cider drinker knew that somewhat obscure wine term, I laughed. Why Bowen didn’t start either against Manchester City or Liverpool was a legitimate question, one that Moyes failed to answer. The recent signing from Hull gave his own answer in the 15th minute. Rice intercepted a pass and immediately gave the ball to another player ignored of late, Fornals. The Spanish International rolled a lovely weighted pass for Bowen to run onto in the Southampton eighteen yard box. Bowen gave a quick glance to McCarthy and calmly chipped the ball over the keeper and into the net.
West Ham 1
Southampton 0
Moments after the Bowen goal, West Ham had a chance to make it two when Antonio simply roared past Ward-Prowse and sent a cross into the box. Haller might have thought Bowen was going to reach it and switched off. The maligned Frenchman got his head to it, but the shot had no pace and McCarthy handled it with ease.
Southampton started to ask a few questions midway through the half. Haller was called for a foul which gave the visitors a free kick from 25 yards out. Ward-Prowse put the ball into the box and Diop headed it over the bar for a corner. The Hammers used their height advantage to defend, and Diop used his cranium again to clear the ball away.
West Ham played a high line, pressing from the front. That was always going to be dangerous, and in the 31st minute we saw why. Ward-Prowse broke down the right, and he sent a beautiful ball into the box where Obafemi met it with a simple right footed shot that went up and over Fabianski.
West Ham 1
Southampton 1
West Ham had a decent chance to reclaim the lead in the 36th minute when Cresswell delivered a cross in a perfect position for Diop to head it home. But for some reason, perhaps seeing Antonio in front of him, Diop headed it off Ward-Prowse and out for what should have been another corner. But Anthony Taylor pointed to McCarthy, and a goal kick was awarded.
Two strikers. There are many arguments for, and against, the formation. But with Haller up front, the arguments for playing that way clearly outweigh those against. In the 41st minute, Antonio found himself on the left side of the Southampton eighteen yard box with the ball. He sent a looping pass towards goal intended for Haller. McCarthy thought he could get to it, but he could do no more than flap at it. The ball came loose, and Haller finished it off very well from a very tight angle.
Halftime
West Ham 2
Southampton 1
Southampton started the second half on the front foot, spraying crosses into the West Ham box from both sides. Ward-Prowse came inches away from finding Long on one that had many hearts skipping a beat at the London Stadium. It had the look of one of those sequences of play where West Ham look utterly ragged and it was only a matter of time before the ball ended up behind Fabianski. It didn’t, but the warning signs were there. When Ings joined the fray minutes later the threat only seemed to intensify. But football can be a funny game. Immediately after the substitution, West Ham broke forward. Haller chested a long ball down to Fornals, who then put a wonderful through ball for Antonio. No handball. No offside. No VAR. Just a calm finish.
West Ham 3
Southampton 1
If you want to endear yourself to West Ham supporters, you needn’t do anything too flashy. If you make the kind of defensive play Bowen did to thwart Bertrand, or win the ball back the way Bowen did after losing it inside the Saints eighteen yard box, you will be loved. Simple.
West Ham almost got a fourth when Haller sent Antonio through with a ball over the top of the Southampton defense. Antonio was in on goal, and a very good save by McCarthy was the difference. West Ham won a corner from that save, but couldn’t turn the set piece into anything dangerous.
Southampton won a free kick in the 65th minute when Cresswell took a yellow for the cause and rugby tackled Long to prevent him from getting away. The set piece was cleared, but not far enough to prevent a long shot attempt by Hojbjerg that Fabianski smothered.
When Ngakia made a good tackle and clearance under pressure from Ings in the 74th minute, I realized I hadn’t thought of the kid at all. That meant he did nothing wrong, which is about all we should ask from a nineteen year old left back. Well done young man.
Southampton won a corner in the 76th minute when Ogbonna put a cross from Armstrong out. The cross came back out to Armstrong near the top of the eighteen yard box, but his one-time volley attempt skied over the bar for a goal kick.
Southampton won another corner in the 86th minute after a good spell of possession when a Danny Ing’s shot went off Diop. The delivery was decent, but the flag went up for offside and West Ham won a calm, slow, deliberate goal kick. A few moments later a sliding tackle by Snodgrass gave the guests another corner, but West Ham kept their shape and their nerve and cleared.
Final Score
West Ham 3
Southampton 1
In some ways, the story of West Ham’s win today was told by the 91st minute entrance of Felipe Anderson as a garbage time substitute. A year and a half ago the Brazilian was our record signing. The kind of player that was supposed to signal the beginning of a new chapter in our history. But if Anderson dreams of replacing a Bowen, Snodgrass, or even Fornals he may need to wake up and apologize. I still fear relegation, and I have little doubt we will be back in the bottom three soon. But we showed both fight and quality today, with a formation that one can only hope Moyes realizes is our only chance of survival.
We live in hope.