EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
West Ham 2 Sheffield United 0
Sheffield United have just suffered an 0-8 drubbing at the hands of the Newcastle Saudis, so they might not be the side anyone would want to meet so soon after such a mauling. An injured animal is dangerous, after all. The last time West Ham played Sheffield United in a Premier League match at home was in February 2021 when they won 3-0 with goals from Rice, Diop and Fredericks, who have all since left the club. Only the two bouncy Czechs and Jarrod Bowen remain at the kick-off from that starting XI this afternoon.
West Ham line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, Areola, Álvaraz and Antonio the A’Grade loners in the line-up (though Aguerd may feel lucky to have missed out). Bowen has four goals in six games, which is quite an achievement. Will he add to his tally today?
After five minutes Bowen turns goal provider from the right with a cross that Souček manages to turn over the bar from close in. Beyond frustrating. After quarter of an hour, Paquetá’s mazy run earns a Ward-Prowse corner which Bowen sees superbly saved by Foderingham, only for Aguerd’s instinctive rebound header to be headed off the line by Luke Thomas.
Ten minutes later the Sheffield defence is finally breached when a fabulous move involving Souček and Coufal ends with Bowen stroking the ball home. No one in the Sheffield side can be blamed for that, and it’s another goal for Jarrod Bowen. A further ten minutes on and it’s two, after a loose ball is pounced upon by Emerson who finds Antonio, and his measured pass hits the stride of Souček, who gently dispatches it like an unforgiving neuro-surgeon.
The second half does not provide the goals that the first suggested it might, and Sheffield United bring out a couple of decent saves from Areola, but their end stats show a side who have lost six out of seven of their last games, and it’s an uncomplicated and routine win for the Hammers.
13 Alphonse Areola, 33 Emerson, 4 Kurt Zouma (captain), 5 Vladimir Coufal, 19 Edison Álvarez, 27 Nayef Aguerd, 7 James Ward Prowse, 11 Lucas Paquetá, 22 Saïd Benrahma,, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 9 Michail Antonio
Substitutes: 14 Mohammed Kudus, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 15 Dinos Pavrapolous, 8 Pablo Fornals,
Goalscorers: Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Souček
