Felipe Anderson masterclass leads West Ham to win

The outright win streak is over for West Ham but the Irons had their sights set on another streak – three away wins in a row. The Saints of Southampton stood in the way, coming off of a win over Arsenal following their new manager’s appointment. Felipe Anderson’s blatant disregard for Southampton’s form secured the win for West Ham with help from the rock, Declan Rice.

There were two big stars for West Ham in this important away win that lead them to the comeback and helped in seeing out the match: double scoring winger Felipe Anderson and midfield rock Declan Rice.

Let’s start with the goalscorer. Felipe Anderson was not very effective in the first half for West Ham, not registering any important chances on goal and not providing much in the way of coverage. After the Hammers conceded early on a scuffed goal just five minutes into the second half Anderson turned on the afterburners.

His near post laser strike drew West Ham level with the Saints three minutes after their opening goal. The strike came from great overlap play with left-back Aaron Cresswell who made the incisive run through the backline to create the space for Anderson to shoot. The strike caught keeper Alex McCarthy by surprise and the power of it made it unstoppable.

Just nine minutes after his opening goal West Ham were put up 2-1 by a relentless counterattack that saw Anderson in alone after a terrific slicing pass from Michail Antonio. Once in alone Anderson got the ball under control and sent it into the roof of the net. Anderson would round out the night by constantly being a threat to score up to the final whistle, literally.

Before, after, and during Anderson’s goal efforts Declan Rice made sure Southampton’s attacks were from the non-dangerous areas. Constantly catching the Southampton attackers in stride and recovering the ball, Rice will be in the nightmares of Stuart Armstrong Nathan Redmond, and Danny Ings tonight as the omnipresent midfielder that made life hard for them consistently.

As a 19-year-old, it is really impressive for Declan Rice to be doing the things that he is. Week in and week out he is West Ham’s best, most consistent player and is turning into a generational talent that the Iron’s need to lock down.

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Outside of these two stars, there were a few players who had rock-solid performances that should be recognized as well.

Aaron Cresswell wore the armband in place of Mark Noble who was rested in midfield today. Cresswell looked in fine form after returning from an injury picked up against Newcastle. The link-up play was there with Anderson as he was not afraid to get up the pitch in a hurry. His crossing was also very solid early in the match despite Carroll not coming on until later in the game.

Speaking of Andy Carroll, the Geordie striker replaced Grady Diangana in the 55th minute as Manuel Pellegrini opted for a more direct approach to play, returning to his 4-2-2-2 formation. Carroll was not good against Watford but was physical and motivated in this appearance. He didn’t get on the scoresheet but was a threat for forty minutes and ran hard.

West Ham’s most important player yet again proved why he was a wise buy from relegated Swansea City in the summer. Keeper Lukasz Fabianski was terrific in this match, claiming corners and making diving saves throughout the match. Even on the goal concede Fabianski made two world-class saves before Redmond bundled it into the net with his arm. What a player Fabianski is for this team.

Lastly, we’ll finish with the good soldier that Michail Antonio was for his manager in this match. He relieved Pablo Zabaleta at right-back for this match and despite some shakiness early, was a solid player in this match. It was clear that his priority was getting up the pitch and midfielder Pedro Obiang allowed him to do that, but he got back quickly, pressed play to the outside and was not an eyesore or gaping weakness for the full 90 minutes.

Next. Pellegrini’s resolve will be shown in West Ham formation despite injuries. dark

It was a slow starter and had a goal that West Ham gave to Southampton, but overall you can’t be mad at this performance by the team. With ten first-team players out, any result away from home would have been acceptable but on the backs of Felipe Anderson and Declan Rice West Ham secured all three points and saw out an impressive, character win.

Felipe Anderson masterclass leads West Ham to important win

By Adam Smith | Dec 27, 2018

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