West Ham: Remembering Andy Carroll’s “cult hero” day
He was not always everyone’s hero, but on this day Andrew Thomas Carroll put his name in the history books for West Ham and into many a fan’s hearts.
At West Ham United there are legends and then there are cult heroes. It is safe to say that Andy Carroll falls into the latter of those two and for many reasons but in April of 2016 he had himself a day against Arsenal and maybe even more so into the Hammer’s hearts forever if he wasn’t already.
As Arsenal came to the Boleyn for the last time, many expected it to be a great match especially since both clubs were towards the top of the table. However, after the Gooners went up 2-0 seemingly right after the start of the match, the bubble was literally being popped.
Now, Carroll was always one for the flare, not in speed but posture, so seeing him in the mix wasn’t surprising, but what was surprising was how he quickly turned around the 2-0 deficit and tied it up before the first half ended.
His first goal came from a double patented play. First, Aaron Cresswell swung in a classic cross that landed right on the head of AC and he did what he does best. Carroll’s second goal in rapid-fire succession was a thing of beauty as he chested down the cross only to have his shot blocked and to follow the rebound up with a volley that smashed home.
Coming out of the half, there was Carroll again. Michail Antonio slipped down the right side into the box and flipped out towards AC. By the time the ball hit his head and flew into the net you were still wondering what happened because it rocketed in so fast that nobody was getting in on the other end of it.
Next. It’s 2025 and the major West Ham storylines look like this. dark
Unfortunately for the Hammers and AC the Gooners equalized, later on, to end the match at a 3-3 draw in what has been a match that will be hard to forget for some time. There will surely be many more memories from Andy Carroll’s time at West Ham that will never be forgotten but this performance on this stage will go down as one of his most stellar days out at the old girl.