West Ham recorded another big three points in their bid to rid of their awful start to the season with a 1-0 win against Swansea City.
It was hardly a mouth-watering affair, with empty seats spotted all around the stadium at kick-off and a rather tense atmosphere on display at the London Stadium – hardly a surprise given the predicament West Ham find themselves in already.
Such a mood wasn’t helped when Wilfried Bony got forward well and struck dangerously on goal in the first-half before Joe Hart was able to parry away the danger. However, that was about all the away side offered in terms of attacking ingenuity as the Swans continue to miss the impact of talismanic Gylfi Sigurdsson following his summer switch.
Second-half substitute Diafra Sakho was the man to ease the pressure on Bilic and his side when he got on the end of a brilliant cross from Arthur Masuaku in the 90th minute to stab home from close range. Stealing all three points at the death, it was exactly the stroke of luck they’d have been hoping for.
Bilic gets his tactics right
It’s been a pretty intense start to the season for Slaven Bilic, with the Hammers boss receiving his fair share of criticism in the opening games. That was very much the case at the weekend, too, when the managers decision to introduce Masuaku and Sakho for Javier Hernandez and Andre Ayew received a round of jeers from the crowd.
However, the 49-year-old was the one to have the last laugh, with both players contributing to West Ham’s vital win. Masuaku’s superb run down the flank and subsequent cross allowed Diafra Sakho to coast in following a perfectly timed run and slot into the net. 3 points achieved and the crowd’s boos silenced…
The goal also marked Swansea’s 31nd visit to West Ham in which they’ve failed to record a clean sheet, conceding 74 goals in the process.
Swansea lack cutting edge again
Having lost their star man in the summer, Swansea have really struggled by way of creativity and goals this season. Having registered just 10 shots prior to the West Ham game, Paul Clement’s side have come under heavy scrutiny for their lack of attacking impetus – something that proved to be very much the same case at the weekend.
Managing just one shot on target in the entire game, the Swans desperately need to address their lack of cutting edge in the next few weeks before they find themselves living dangerously at the bottom of the pack.