Daily WHUFC News - 1st October 2017

Sakho strikes at the death to sink Swans
WHUFC.com

West Ham United 1 - 0 Swansea City
Premier League

West Ham United left it late but secured their second Premier League victory
of the season as Diafra Sakho's 90th minute goal proved enough to see off
Swansea City. The points looked destined to be shared on an afternoon of few
chances at London Stadium, but the Hammers finally found the key to unlock
the Swans defence at the death with Arthur Masuaku delivering and Sakho
finishing. Victory was West Ham's second in three home games and sees them
sign-off for the international break having taken seven points from four
September games. The Hammers started with Andy Carroll and Chicharito in
attack together, but it was the hosts' two wide players who combined for the
afternoon's first opportunity. There were four minutes on the clock when
Andre Ayew sent over a deep cross from the left. Michail Antonio volleyed
down into the ground and Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski dived to his right to
push the ball away. Ten minutes later, the Chicharito-Carroll pairing posed
a threat, as the former controlled in the area and laid back to Carroll, but
the No9's shot took a heavy deflection and was easily smothered by
Fabianski. Swansea countered to the other end, and Wilfried Bony let fly
from range, forcing Joe Hart to dive to his left to parry. Seven minutes
later, Renato Sanches made a break into space from midfield, heading towards
the edge of the area before passing left to Tom Carroll. The shot was on,
but Pablo Zabaleta closed down the space quickly to block on the slide. And
that was about that for a first half in which both sides struggled to find
the spark needed in the final third to make the difference.

Swansea went for a change of plan at the break, introducing Leroy Fer for
Bony, but it was West Ham who were the first to go close when a deep cross
from the right found Carroll in space, but the home striker couldn't quite
catch up with it and toed wide. Still chances were at a premium though, so
just past the hour Slaven Bilic turned to his bench to give Manuel Lanzini
his first home run-out of the season in place of Mark Noble. With 15 minutes
to go Swansea's Martin Olsson went close with a right-foot curler from the
edge of the area which just missed the far post. Eleven minutes later, the
Hammers went yet closer as Masuaku delivered a bouncing cross from the left
and Carroll guided it goalwards with his left boot, only to see the shot
bounce off the crossbar and away to safety. It looked as though the goal
would not come, but a minute from time the deadlock was broken as two of
Bilic's subs combined. Masuaku did brilliantly to head towards the by-line
and fashion space for a cross, and his low, pacy delivery was left on a
plate for Sakho to slide home at the far post.

West Ham United: Hart, Zabaleta, Reid, Fonte, Cresswell, Antonio, Noble (C)
(Lanzini 62), Kouyate, Ayew (Masuaku 78), Chicharito (Sakho 78), Carroll
Subs: Adrian (GK), Ogbonna, Byram, Rice
Goal: Sakho 90
Booked: Kouyate, Carroll, Sakho

Swansea City: Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson (Clucas 87),
Sanches, Carroll, Britton (C) (Mesa 69), Ayew, Abraham, Bony (Fer 46)
Subs: Nordfeldt (GK), van der Hoorn, Narsingh, Rangel
Booked: Sanches

Referee: Roger East
Attendance: 56,922

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic vindicated by substitute Sakho's strike
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic felt vindicated after his three substitutes combined to score a
vital 1-0 Premier League victory over Swansea City. West Ham United produced
a listless first-half performance at London Stadium, leading to the Hammers
being booed off by an unimpressed Claret and Blue Army at half-time. Bilic
admitted he and his players deserved to be criticised, but hailed their
ability to come out after the break and produce a better display, inspired
by the introductions of Manuel Lanzini, Arthur Masuaku and match-winner
Diafra Sakho from the bench. "We deserved to be booed," said the manager,
who was criticised in some parts for his substitutions in last weekend's 3-2
home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. "The fans pay their money and they are
entitled to their opinion and we didn't play good in the first half. In
fact, we were poor. It wasn't good enough. "On the substitutions, it's all
about the decisions that you make and if you are not happy about the
position and you believe in something, you should not be worried about
booing. "It was ten minutes to go and sometimes, a lot of times, it's not
about how the players play on the pitch, but that you have quality players
on the bench who can change the game and lift us, and that's what we did
with Manu Lanzini, then with Arthur and with Sakho, and it was what lifted
us and it was definitely a good decision. "We did the same against
Huddersfield and it worked. We did the same against Spurs and it didn't turn
the game around, but it helped. Also today, you have to believe in your
players from the bench and it was the right thing to do."

West Ham's victory was secured with 45 seconds of normal time remaining when
Masuaku collected a pass from Lanzini, drove past Kyle Naughton and crossed
low and hard for Sakho to slam home at the far post. All three had been
introduced after half-time and Bilic observed that his team got a noticeable
lift from their arrival on the pitch. "It's a great three points for us," he
said. "It's a clean sheet, so nobody can say that we didn't deserve it
because, as the game was dragging on in the second half, I had the feeling
that it was more us that was going to score the goal. "In the second half it
was better, especially when we made some changes and we had Lanzini on the
pitch, because Lanzini is the one that we have been missing so much. He
takes the whole team up in dangerous areas.
"We knew we needed to get into dangerous positions on the wings, so that's
why we made the change by bringing on Arthur and Diafra. "We stopped them
having the ball, we stopped them counter-attacking and we put some good
balls in. From one, we hit the crossbar and from the second one, we scored
the great and very important goal for us."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sakho: I'm just happy!
WHUFC.com

Diafra Sakho was delighted to score the winning goal against Swansea City on
Saturday - in more ways than one. First and foremost, he was thrilled to
play his part in securing a vital three points for his team, sliding in at
the far post to convert Arthur Masuaku's pinpoint cross. Secondly, the
Senegal frontman was happy to send a valued colleague off with a nice
leaving present after dedicating his goal to masseur Will Storey, who leaves
the Hammers this week after spending nearly a decade with the Club over two
spells. "I'm just happy," Sakho beamed. "I'm happy for the team to win the
game, and it's a very important moment for all the players to win before the
international break. "I worked with Will Storey for three years and he has
looked after me with the massages. I'm sad that he is leaving the Club, but
happy that I scored the goal for him. "He does everything for me -
stretching, massage - and every day when I come in he gives me a smile. "If
I could I would keep him at the Club for a lot of years and I want to thank
him for all the support and help he has given me. "Before I went on I told
him I would score for him. I did, so I'm happy!"

Sakho will now head to international duty with Senegal with a spring in his
step, hoping to earn his first caps for his country in nearly three years
when they take on the Cape Verde Islands next week. "The national team need
my help, and I'm looking forward to showing the fans that I'm here and
hopefully I can score one or two goals for them," he added. "I hope to score
more goals for West Ham when I'm back as well!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cooper: Ladies will fight to change fortunes against Lewes
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies are desperate to use this weekend's match with Lewes
as a way to change their season around and get some more points on the
board, according to captain Amy Cooper. An unfortunate run of results has
left Greg De Carnys's side without a victory since the home win against
Cardiff in August, while a late penalty last weekend stopped the Ladies from
claiming a hard-fought draw against Portsmouth. Cooper has bemoaned a few of
those games as not reflecting the team's true ability but acknowledges that
the West Ham Ladies now need to get some more points to push up the league.
The captain told whufc.com: "We've all been training really hard so
hopefully we can get a result that we need and a result that we deserve.
There's been a couple of games where we feel our efforts haven't quite
matched what we've taken from the game, but we're eager to change that this
weekend. "It's important we put on a big performance on Sunday, and show
just what we're capable of as a team. Obviously, recent performances haven't
been what we've wanted and we really need some points to get our season up
and running."

The midfielder missed the match on Sunday with Portsmouth but is eager to
return to the field and help her team get a win this weekend. "I can't wait
to get back on the field," she admitted: "I was absolutely gutted to miss
out against Portsmouth, and that I couldn't help the girls, but it will be
great to get back on the pitch.
"I'm excited to support the girls and hopefully put on a good personal
performance."

With the backing given to the Ladies in the summer, and a new long-term
project in place, West Ham are eager to prove they belong higher up the
league and up the divisions. Cooper is adamant that those ambitions are
still in place but also admits that the side needs to recognise their
current situation, and work together to grind out more results. She
insisted: "Our aspirations remain the same. We want to be fighting at the
top of the table. "But we also have to take stock of where we are and just
get some points on the board. Hopefully we can do that against Lewes and
climb up the table."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hart: We fought hard for Swansea success
WHUFC.com

Joe Hart hailed the fighting spirit in the West Ham United squad after
Saturday's 1-0 Premier League victory over Swansea City. While the
goalkeeper said the Hammers were 'relieved' to achieve their second
top-flight win of the season, courtesy of substitute Diafra Sakho's
90th-minute goal, he was also honest enough to admit that they did not
produce their best at London Stadium. But, having kept three clean sheets in
his last four top-flight appearances, Hart says there are foundations on
which to build when he and his teammates return to action after the
international break. "We're relieved, of course we are," Hart began. "It was
a difficult game and a strange game and it's not going to get a lot of
air-time, understandably. "It was important that we stuck together as a
group. It was a difficult atmosphere, but we stuck at it and got an
important win. "We've just got to focus on the win. We've picked up seven
points since the last international break with two wins, a draw and a loss,
which is good. We stuck together as a group of players and staff and
hopefully the fans have gone home happy, but it's a difficult one to assess.
"I'm never going to criticise the fans. Their entitled to their opinion as
they pay good money, they come here and expect good and big things from us.
"The one thing I can't criticise is the team's effort. It was not quality, I
was not high quality today, but the effort was there. We're not quite doing
it at the moment, but hopefully it'll come if we all stick together as a
group and we're going to pick up wins. "We've not been fluid all year, but
we're searching and working hard. Confidence is huge in football. If you're
going to us [my England teammate] Harry [Kane] as an example, he's scored
goals and now there's no stopping the guy. "The only way we're going to get
more confident is if we pick up wins, we stick together as a team and we
keep clean sheets and move forward."

Hart saved his praise for substitutes Sakho, Manuel Lanzini and Arthur
Masuaku, who combined superbly in the 90th minute to secure a
morale-boosting victory for their team. "We stick together, we train hard
and fight for each other and we fought on Saturday," the goalkeeper
continued. "We didn't play particularly well, but we fought. "The changes
were brilliant. Arthur came on and changed the game for us, it was good to
have Manuel Lanzini back and you can't ask for much more than what Diaf gave
us. "It's been difficult for him after the issues he had at the end of the
transfer window, but he's come in, he's scored goals in the Carabao Cup and
when he got his chance, he won us the game. A lot of praise should go to
him, because he has settled a very nervy affair and sent a lot of people
into the international break feeling happy."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Back five set foundation for Swansea success
WHUFC.com

Arthur Masuaku and Diafra Sakho will rightly take the headlines from the 1-0
Premier League win over Swansea City. However, the foundations for
Saturday's success were laid by the back four and goalkeeper Joe Hart, who
produced another solid performance at London Stadium. West Ham United made
it four clean sheets in their last five games in all competitions, with
Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Winston Reid, Jose Fonte and Aaron Cresswell standing
firm to restrict Swansea to just six goal attempts and a single shot
on-target - a first-half effort from 30 yards from Wilfried Bony that the
goalkeeper dealt with comfortably. In front of him, Fonte was the
statistical stand-out, with the Portugal centre-back making eight
clearances, four interceptions and winning a tackle. To his right, Zabaleta
continued to build his reputation among the Claret and Blue Army with
another committed, composed performance at full-back. The Argentina
international was on the front foot all afternoon, winning a team-high five
tackles, making two interceptions and blocking a goal-bound shot from Tom
Carroll to keep the game goalless.
Alongside Fonte, Reid was at his consistent, physically-dominating best,
making a team-high 14 clearances - twice as many as Swansea leader Alfie
Mawson's seven. At left-back, Cresswell put his body on the line when he
thundered into a first-half challenge with Renato Sanches, winning the 50/50
and risking injury when his shin collided with the Portugal midfielder's
boot. The No3 also delivered two key passes - the same number as the man who
provided the assist for Sakho's winner, his fellow substitute Masuaku.
Masuaku was undoubtedly effective when he emerged from the bench with 16
minutes remaining, completing all five of his passes and both of his
crosses, including the pinpoint delivery for Sakho's last-minute winner.
Talking of accuracy, Manuel Lanzini was almost perfect, with 21 of his 22
passes reaching their intended target for a 95.5 per cent completion rate.
The Argentina star also embarked on two successful dribbles, adding new
impetus to West Ham's play when they needed it most. Cresswell and Zabaleta
also put in the hard yards for their team, literally, covering 10.63km and
10.44km, putting them third and fourth in distance covered behind teammate
Michail Antonio, whose 11.31km led his team ahead of Cheikhou Kouyate's
10.93km. For the record, Antonio also made 79 sprints to lead his team.

Overall, West Ham covered nearly 3.5km more ground than Swansea - 110.27km
to 106.81km - showing that, while their performance may not have been
vintage, the home side certainly did not shirk on the hard work required to
win a Premier League match.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-0 Swansea: Substitute Diafra Sakho scores vital late winner
By James Kilpatrick
Last Updated: 30/09/17 7:49pm
SSN

Diafra Sakho scored a late winner to lift West Ham out of the relegation
zone and condemned Swansea to another late loss. West Ham's two substitutes
Arthur Masuaku and Sakho combined for the Senegal international to convert a
low cross to hand the hosts a crucial victory. Swansea, who were strong
defensively throughout the match, will feel hard done by after conceding
another last minute winner, but the result means West Ham jump up to 15th in
the table, with the visitors dropping into the relegation zone in 17th. The
contest started in an open fashion with both keen to set the tempo early.
Michail Antonio had the game's first chance as he slammed a volley into the
ground which Lukas Fabianski did well to parry away. Ten minutes later, and
Wilfried Bony's driven shot from outside the box was strongly punched clear
by Joe Hart.

Man of the match: Alfie Mawson

Swansea's Renato Sanches got himself into hot water after he raised his
studs in a late challenge on Aaron Cresswell, forcing referee Roger East to
issue a yellow card. Otherwise, it was a slow half with plenty of sloppy
play evident from both teams. West Ham came out a revitalised side in the
second-half and nearly took the lead seven minutes in as Antonio's dangerous
ball was aimed at the back post for Andy Carroll, but he couldn't quite make
the connection. The game entered a very scrappy period until Martin Olsson
came close for Swansea with a curled effort from outside the box which went
agonisingly wide of Hart's left post.

West Ham continually pushed to break open the deadlock, with plenty of long
balls up to Carroll, but Alfie Mawson did extremely well all afternoon to
contain their target man. Carroll did hit the woodwork in the 85th minute
with a first-time shot following Masuaku's cross in what was arguably their
closest chance in the match.

But substitute Sakho would produce the heroics in the 89th minute. Masuaku
went on a fine run down the left flank, driving past Kyle Naughton, before
playing a lethal ball across the goalmouth for the Senegal forward to tap in
and give West Ham their second victory of the season.

Opta stats

This game produced a total of just 15 shots; only Burnley v Huddersfield on
September 23rd saw fewer in the top-flight this season (13).
West Ham have registered three clean sheets in their last four Premier
League games, after managing none in the five before that.
Swansea have still never kept an away clean sheet at West Ham, conceding 75
goals in 32 games in all competitions, stretching back to an FA Cup match in
1922 (W2 D7 L23).
The Swans conceded their first away Premier League goal in 495 minutes of
action, since Wayne Rooney scored for Man Utd against the Swans on April
30th.

The pundit - Paul Merson

"I think it has saved Bilic's job, yes. I thought with ten minutes to go
that he could go. It was the performance. "Then he made the substitutions.
He brought off Hernandez and the crowd went mad. But it went to plan, as the
two subs worked a treat. Swansea don't get the ball forward quick enough.
Their one shot was from 25 yards."

Man of the Match - Alfie Mawson

Although he was on the losing side, Alfie Mawson produced a confident
performance at centre back and did an excellent job of containing Andy
Carroll, who was arguably one of West Ham's most dangerous players
throughout the 90 minutes. He successfully beat Carroll to a number of
crucial headers and was positionally aware throughout the game. The
23-year-old was unlucky to be on the losing side.

The managers

Slaven Bilic: "It's all about the squad and it showed today because the
substitutes made a huge impact. "We started well and on the front foot, but
after that they had much more of the ball and we were losing it with simple
passes. It drains the confidence out of the players. "We are under pressure
and the players feel it but at least we showed the determination, character
and teamwork and that's what gave us the three points today."

Paul Clement: "We're clearly frustrated to concede a goal in the last
minute. Over the course of the game we were very much in it and we were the
better side, particularly in the first half when we had good control of the
game and got the ball forward in the attacking third. "What was missing for
us was the first and second bit of quality that you needed to convert good
opportunities."

What's next?

West Ham travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley in the Premier League next
weekend. Swansea, meanwhile, play Huddersfield at home on the same day.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham open talks with teenage star Domingos Quina over contract extension
to keep him at London Stadium
The Hammers are determined to keep one of their most promising youngsters
and give him a long-term deal
The Mirror
BYJOHN CROSS
11:40, 1 OCT 2017UPDATED11:42, 1 OCT 2017

West Ham have opened talks about a contract extension for teenage midfielder
Domingos Quina. Quina, 17, is seen as one of West Ham's most promising
youngsters and the club are keen to tie him down to a longer deal.
Portuguese starlet Quina's current deal expires in 2019 and West Ham want to
make sure his progress is rewarded. Quina was a regular on the bench last
season and was given a chance in the League Cup this season. West Ham
managed to sign him ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United while
Paris Saint German have been keeping tabs. The Hammers want to make sure
Quina stays with them with bigger clubs still looking at him as one of
Europe's most exciting young midfielders.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole has not heard from Crystal Palace but is open to a transfer
Last Updated: 01/10/17 12:47pm
SSN

Carlton Cole admits he has not heard from Crystal Palace but is open to a
move to the Premier League strugglers. The 33-year-old has been without a
club since leaving Indonesian side Persib Bandung last month and is keen to
play in England again. Cole has made 398 career appearances, scoring 86
goals for eight different clubs including a nine-year stint at West Ham. And
with Crystal Palace having failed to score in the Premier League this
season, he has been linked to a move. Cole was the special guest on Goals on
Sunday, and he says there has been no contact from Palace, but would
consider a move to the south London club if the opportunity presented
itself. "I've not heard anything," he said. "You never know what happens in
football. Clubs need strikers to take the pressure off. Obviously I'm here
and ready to go."
Cole believes he is still capable of scoring goals in the Premier League,
despite his advancing years. He added: "I don't know what's going on
[regarding his agent fixing a move] to be honest. I'm just waiting for a
phone call to see if a team is ready for me to go there and see where that
takes me. "I'm scoring goals and playing up front in the Premier League is
hard but I obviously think I've got what it takes and I know what it takes.
It's all rumours at the moment so we'll keep it like that. "I want to stay
in England. I don't want to go abroad anymore, I've done that. Anything
close to home would be good for me."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com