EXTRA TIME

Virtually safe!

July 18, 2020 at 5:00 am Leave a comment

West Ham “deserve to be in the Premier League” says captain Mark Noble, after his side’s blistering first-half performance ensured a victory that virtually secures their top-flight status but leaves Watford in major trouble. (BBC)

Prior to the match, manager David Moyes had asked his players to “promise less and deliver more” and they did just that in a terrific first-half showing that eased any nerves.

The Hammers started brightly and scored two goals within ten minutes (goals: Michail Antonio who is the most prolific player post-lockdown with seven goals since the restart, and Tomas Soucek, excellent again in midfield). And when Declan Rice made it three before halftime, it was almost clear that the Irons would pick up a crucial win.

With their 3-1 victory over Watford they have moved six points clear of the relegation zone with two games remaining and, with a goal difference that is also significantly better than their rivals’, the Hammers’ place in the top flight seems assured.

David Moyes said: “We are in a good position. Teams still have that chance and we have to do that job. Even scoring the goals has helped – I wanted us to keep our goal difference as good as it could be.

Mark Noble, who came through the club’s academy and made his 500th appearance in the match, said: “It’s an amazing day for me, my family – this club deserves to be in the Premier League and tonight went a long way to achieving that.

“Seventeen or 18 years ago I was trying to sneak into Upton Park without a ticket. To play 500 games for the club you grew up supporting, grew up half a mile away from here, your family support – it’s what dreams are made of,” Noble was beaming.

With two games to play and 37 points, the gaffer still wants more: “We still have a couple of games to go. If we get 40 points we’ll have done it off our own back,” David Moyes said.

Forward Antonio, fresh from scoring four against Norwich in the previous game, took his tally to nine for the season with his goal in the sixth minute: it was a calm, left-footed finish to set the Hammers on their way.

Soucek‘s flying header and Rice‘s delightful long range shot ended the game as a contest, despite there being nearly an hour still to play.

The second half still cost me some nerves because Watford made it 3-1 through Troy Deeny quite early and pressed for a second goal.

But after half an hour West Ham regained their grip on the game, and in the end the Hammers could celebrate to be virtually safe and remain in the Premier League.

The remaining fixtures of the teams in 15th – 19th place are:

West Ham: Manchester Utd (A), Aston Villa (H)

Brighton: Newcastle (H), Burnley (A)

Watfordjh : Man City (H), Arsenal (A)

Bournemouth: Southampton (H), Everton (A)

Aston Villa: Arsenal (H), West Ham (A)

WHU v Watford 3-1, extended highlights: https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/july/18-july/extended-highlights-west-ham-united-3-1-watford

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