West Ham’s win over Chelsea is massive for squad confidence
By Jay Korman
After nearly going 2 months without a win in the Premier League, Manuel Pellegrini’s squad shocked Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 1-0, and look to keep the momentum going against Wolves on Wednesday.
Calling West Ham’s win at Chelsea on Saturday anything less than incredible would be doing a disservice to how great the team played. In a stunning result, the Hammers, who were essentially seen as dead in the water with Manuel Pellegrini, pulled off a stunning 1-0 victory in a performance that had passion, energy, and emotion. These are the kinds of things we as West Ham fans have a right to expect every single week.
The Hammers defended admirably, and a moment of brilliance from Aaron Cresswell was enough for the Irons to hold on for a potential season-changing victory. After weeks and weeks of talk about Manuel Pellegrini’s job security, West Ham fans can finally breathe and enjoy a few days riding the victory high. Yes, things should not change when it comes to the criticism of Pellegrini and the overall play of the squad, however, this was a special victory for the Irons and one that should be celebrated.
David Martin stole most of the headlines post-match, as the son of Hammers legend Alvin Martin kept a clean sheet against a very lethal Chelsea attack. You could see how much it meant to Martin and the players after the match, and the joy the squad felt for a player who most likely never thought he would receive the opportunity to play in the Claret and Blue.
Although there are many great talking points after the Chelsea match, the most important thing for the squad to do is to carry over all of the momentum from the performance and come out firing on all cylinders against Wolves.
Wolves are a great team and will be another tough match away from home for the Irons. The intensity and passion from the Chelsea performance must carry over into this match for the Hammers to have any chance at the Molineux. Although Pellegrini has come under fire for many of his decisions, one that seemed to pay off was starting Pablo Fornals out wide. The Spaniard had his best game in a West Ham shirt and will look to build off of a great performance.
Although it has been a tough season so far for West Ham, the squad should have gained some much-needed confidence after the Chelsea match. Wolves will by no means be an easy game, but all we can hope for as fans is that the squad can put in a performance that makes us proud to wear the Claret and Blue. Come on you Irons!