WEST HAM’S TOMAS SOUCEK COULD NOT HAVE CELEBRATED HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY IN ANY BETTER FASHION YESTERDAY THAN SCORING THE OPENING GOAL OF THE MATCH BETWEEN WEST HAM VS LEICESTER CITY, WITH A CRACKER AT 21 MINS AFTER HE STAYED ALERT FOLLOWING A COMPLICATED REBOUND FROM A SHOT BY KUDUS, WHICH WAS SAVED BY HERMANSEN, AND ENDED UP ON THE END OF HIS BOOT FOLLOWED BY AN IMPRESSIVE GOAL!
JARROD BOWEN CELEBRATES
THERE WERE 8 SHOTS IN TOTAL FOR WEST HAM, INCLUDING 2 ON TARGET, WITH ANOTHER EXPERTLY CRAFTED GOAL BY JARROD BOWEN, WHICH WAS HEADING STRAIGHT IN, BEFORE IT WAS DEFENDED BY LEICESTER’S JANNIK VESTERGAARD, WHO HELPED IT ON IT’S WAY TO THE BACK-OF-THE-NET, JUST BEFORE HALF-TIME AT 43 MINS! (OWN GOAL). LEICESTER HAD 10 SHOTS, WITH 2 ON TARGET, BUT WITH NOTHING ACTUALLY REACHING-THE-BACK-OF-THE-NET, THE MATCH ENDED IN A 2 – 1 WIN TO WEST HAM!
RUUD VAN NISTELROOY SPEAKS AFTER THE MATCH
“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND HALF WAS BIG. THE WHOLE FIRST HALF, WE WERE GOING BACK INSTEAD OF PUTTING OUR OPPONENTS UNDER PRESSURE. WE DON’T HAVE TOO MANY RESULTS. ALSO IN BOTTOM THREE. WE WERE TOO PASSIVE AND TOO SECURE IN OUR DEFENSIVE ORGANISATION. WE DIDN’T PRESS THE OPPONENT AT ALL. THE BACKLINE WAS TOO DEEP, THE MIDFIELD TOO. THE SECOND HALF YOU HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT GAME BUT YOU’VE CONCEDED TWO. NOTHING AT ALL CHANGED TACTICALLY AT HALF-TIME. THE INTENSITY OF THE PLAYERS. FORWARDS PRESSING. THE HIGHER BACK LINE AND MIDFIELDERS FOLLOWING ON THE PRESSURE OF THE FORWARDS. THAT IS THE WAY FORWARD LITERALLY. WHEN YOU ARE PASSIVE AND HOPE THE OPPONENT DOESN’T SCORE YOU CALL IT UPON YOURSELF. THE EASY GOALS WE CONDEDED ARE A PART OF IT. WE ARE STILL IN THIS FIGHT. WE’RE MATHEMATICALLY THERE. WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN. IT MUST BE CLEAR THE FIGHT WAS ONLY ONE HALF TODAY AND THAT’S NOT ENOUGH.”
GRAHAM POTTER SPEAKS AFTER THE MATCH
“FEELS GOOD. IT’S NOT EASY. THE TURNAROUND FROM THE ARSENAL GAME WAS NOT THAT LONG. TWO EFFORTS IN FIVE DAYS IS BIG FOR US. TWO CLEAN SHEETS, SIX POINTS, DELIGHTED. THE CLEAN SHEET WAS IMPORTANT. WE HAVE CONCEDED TOO MANY GOALS THIS SEASON. IT’S IMPORTANT TO STEM THAT. THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO DO THAT WAS IMPORTANT. WE CONTROLLED THE FIRST HALF AND LIMITED THEM. OVERALL WE’RE DELIGHTED. A BIG WIN FOR US. DELIGHTED FOR THE PLAYERS, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD. NOW THEY HAVE TWO BACK-TO-BACK WINS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE WHICH ISN’T EASY. THERE IS A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR SURE. TALENT IS ONE THING. THE FOUNDATIONS HAVE TO BE GOOD. HOPEFULLY THEY ARE GETTING REWARDS BECAUSE TALENT ISN’T ENOUGH IN THE LIEAGUE. YOU HAVE TO KEEP CLEAN SHEETS, DEFEND WELL, DO THE UGLY SIDE OF THE GAME WELL AND THE PLAYERS HAVE DONE THAT AND GOT THEIR REWARDS.”
