Good news, Liverpool: Anderson magic helps West Ham continue Thursday curse with Saints win

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Southampton hosted West Ham on Thursday evening looking to continue their resurgent form under new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The Saints had won two of their three games under Hasenhuttl prior to Thursday’s clash, while the Hammers went into the game on the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Watford, which ended their four-game winning streak.

A lively opening saw Southampton press West Ham hard right from the kickoff, evening managing to get in a challenge within the first 15 seconds. That frantic opening led to the Saints having a few early chances but they were unable to convert.

The game soon settled into a rhythm, with both sides having extended periods in possession and only being able to create the odd chance before going into the half-time break goalless.

If the first half fizzled out without a bang, the second half was the complete antithesis, with Southampton scoring an immensely scrappy goal in the 50th minute to take the lead, before to Felipe Anderson strikes in six minutes had West Ham ahead after just before the hour mark.

Southampton continued to huff and puff throughout the remaining half-an-hour but were unable to breach Lukasz Fabianski’s goal for a second time and ultimately fell to defeat.

Here are five things we learned from Southampton 1-2 West Ham United.

1. Felipe Anderson is a wizard

Felipe Anderson had scored six goals prior to Thursday’s game and has been looking more and more like a £35m-man as the season has progressed; West Ham’s trip to the south coast was another example of that.

By his own lofty standards, Anderson actually had a pretty poor first half, with Brazilian unable to stamp his authority on the game. That all changed in the second half.

With the Hammers falling behind in the 50th minute, Anderson immediately sprung into action, picking up the ball on the edge of the box and sweeping a lovely, right-footed finish into the bottom corner to make it 1-1. And just six minutes later, he was at it again, getting onto the end of a Michail Antonio pass and finishing one-on-one to put the seal on a ruthless West Ham counter-attack and put Manuel Pellegrini’s side 2-1 up.

This 25-year-old Brazilian magician is just what West Ham have missed since the departure of Dimitri Payet and the absence of the injured Manuel Lanzini.

2. Fabianski saves the Hammers

Is Lukasz Fabianski one of the most underrated goalkeepers in the Premier League?

After a wonderful one-on-one save from Nathan Redmond early in the second half, the Poland international was extremely unlucky to see the ball bundled over his line, with the ‘keeper lying helpless on the floor and exposed by his defence.

However, that was the only mark on an otherwise beautifully clean copy-book for Fabianski, with the former Arsenal man pulling off a number of wonderful saves to allow Felipe Anderson the chance to win the game for the Hammers.

And Twitter was quick to point out just how underrated Fabianski is.

3. They all count

It took until the 50th minute for the deadlock to be broken, with Nathan Redmond eventually opening the scoring with one of the scrappiest goals you’re likely to see this season.

West Ham were embarrassingly unable to clear their lines as Southampton fired balls into the box, before an Oriol Romeu shot was blocked, finding its way to an onside Nathan Redmond. As West Ham’s defence all stopped and waited for an offside flag, Lukasz Fabianski had to make a one-on-one save from the Englishman’s shot, before Redmond somehow bundled the ball into the back of the net.

Moments later, down the other end of the pitch, Felipe Anderson picked up the ball on the edge of the box and swept a beautiful, right-footed shot just inside the near post to put the Hammers immediately back level.

The two goals were beauty and the beast personified but as long as they go in, they all count in the end.

4. Saints must learn to defend a lead

Southampton actually played quite well on Thursday, despite their defeat, with their pressing and quick transitions really causing West Ham problems; especially when their full-backs had pushed high up the pitch.

This was one of the hallmarks of Hasenhuttl’s time at Ingolstadt and RB Leipzig in Germany, with the 51-year-old earning the title of the ‘Alpine Klopp’.

Something he and his new side must learn, though, is how to defend a lead. It took all of two minutes for Felipe Anderson to cancel out Southampton’s lead, before striking again six minutes later to seal a 2-1 away victory for the Hammers.

That result means the Saints have now lost 15 points from winning positions this season; that is more than any other Premier League team and it is something that is costing them dearly in the battle at the bottom.

 

5. The Thursday curse strikes again

Southampton vs West Ham was the ninth Premier League match played on a Thursday since the start of the 2016/17 season.

During that time, there hasn’t been a single win from any home side playing a Premier League game on a Thursday night with the visitors, West Ham, coming from behind and emerging victorious at St Mary’s.

That doesn’t bode well for an out-of-form Manchester City, who host Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a must-win title clash on Thursday, January 3.

The post Thursday curse strikes again: Five things learned from Southampton v West Ham appeared first on Squawka News.



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