WHERE’S YOUR FAMOUS ATMOSPHERE
Leeds United 2 West Ham 2
David Gold has died. A man who grew up across the road from the Boleyn Ground and who played for West Ham’s boys and youth teams as a youngster. The Joint Chairman had been at the club since 2010 and overseen the move to London Stadium and recent revival in form in the Premier League and two successive seasons playing European football. He will be missed.
West Ham have not won a competitive first team game since October, and are now poised to enter the bottom three of the Premier League unless they get something from this game. Leeds return from having fought out a goalless draw at Newcastle, whereas West Ham are recovering from a soulless 0-2 home defeat against Brentford.
Incredibly this is Nayef Aguerd’s first start in the Premier League, and there are many of us who believe he was West Ham’s best defensive close season signing and that his first start is long overdue. A pre-season injury in a friendly against Glasgow Rangers is mainly to blame for this setback. Hopefully he will now start every game.
After a nervous start it takes Hammers just 28 minutes to fall behind, when Wilfried Gnonto exchanges passes with Summerville before drilling the pass beyond Fabianski. Despite the attentions of Paquetá, Coufal and Dawson, a hole appears in the West Ham defence that could have sunk the Titanic. The scorer is just 19 years old and that’s his first goal for Leeds. Guess he’ll remember it more than I will.
Pundits are now beginning to point out the regularity of Hammers’ conceding goals from throw ins. The ‘going to sleep’ syndrome, to put it more politely than others alongside me are putting it. I have endured a four and a half hours’ coach journey to be at this game, and I’m already thinking mournfully about the journey back.
Thankfully, Hammers slowly begin to settle, after Aaronson skies a gilt-edged chance to make it two. Fornals is one of the reasons for improved form, and after a through ball is cleared, Coufal attempts to chip Meslier from 35 yards, and is just a yard too long.
Just before half time Scamacca finds Bowen in the area, who is floored, and shortly after a VAR check a penalty is awarded. Paquetá takes it, with a familiar continental stutter, and buries it in the corner.
Good goes to better at the beginning of the second half when Scamacca on the break hits an early shot which beats Meslier and goes in off the far post.
So two of the new signings have turned a deficit into a lead. And what chance of making it three 2-1 victories in a row for the Hammers at Elland Road?
A third might have been too much to hope for, despite the dropping of the Leeds’ manager’s head. Summerville puts Coufal into the technical area with a two-footed revenge tackle for which the term ‘straight red’ was designed, but tonight’s referee, David Coote, can only present a cowardly yellow. Soufal has to be substituted a few minutes later, followed by Aaronson, who is still smoking and clearly needs to be put out, even if it is by his own manager.
Leeds score the inevitable equaliser to comeback from being behind when Adamson and Harrison combine down West Ham’s threadbare middle to feed Rodrigo, who slots expertly past Fabianski. And yes, the move started again from a throw in. Now it’s all Leeds, with Rodrigo and Cooper denied by an acrobatic save from Fabianski and a clearance off the line by Antonio. At the other end as the game moves into injury time, Antonio just fails to get on the end of a cross come shot from Benrahma and then Fabianski again at the death provides a point-saving paw away from Rodrigo’s close range header.
As I move towards the exit, I realise that Everton’s 1-4 home thrashing by Bournemouth the day before means that Hammers remain out of the bottom three, but only on goal difference. That needs to be as close as it gets if they are to recover from this poor form. Next League weekend Hammers are away to Wolves and Everton home to fellow stragglers Southampton. We’ll need all three points.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 27 Nayef Aguerd, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 15 Craig Dawson, 24 Thilo Kehrer, 8 Pablo Fornals, 28 Tomas Souček, 41 Declan Rice (captain), 7 Gianluca Scamacca, 11 Lucas Paquetá, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 9 Michail Antonio, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 22 Saïd Benrahma
Goalscorers: Lucas Paquetá (penalty), Gianluca Scamacca
