Daily WHUFC News - 17th December 2017

Hammers record emphatic win at Stoke
WHUFC.com

Marko Arnautovic inspired West Ham United to an emphatic victory at former
club Stoke City on Saturday as the Hammers were 3-0 winners in the Premier
League. The Austrian was a thorn in the Potters' side throughout the
afternoon, and his second goal in three games – sandwiched between a Mark
Noble penalty and Diafra Sakho's late third – helped West Ham to their first
away win in the league since May. And the win could have been by a far
greater margin – Arnautovic himself hit the post twice and Stoke rode their
luck at times to stay in the game. The Hammers were on the front foot from
the first whistle and were soon causing Stoke all manner of problems. With
just four minutes on the clock, Arthur Masuaku drove into space but sliced
an effort just wide from 20 yards. Five minutes later, Jack Butland in the
Stoke goal was called into action for the first time, though Michail
Antonio's shot from the edge of the box was comfortably collected by the
England international. Next it was the hosts' turn to try their luck at
goal. Xherdan Shaqiri dragged an attempt wide with space on the edge of the
box but the Potters came extremely close to taking the lead just after the
quarter of an hour mark. The Swiss midfielder floated in a free-kick from
range which was met by captain Ryan Shawcross, however, meeting the ball
with his head, the defender's effort rebounded back off the post. Before
Mark Hughes' men had time to think about the missed opportunity, they were
back defending as West Ham and Lanzini broke. The Argentine charged into the
left-hand-side of the box and drew the foul from Eric Pieters. Referee
Graham Scott pointed to the spot and the skipper stepped up to confidently
slot past Butland to the goalkeeper's left. And there were chances for West
Ham to extend their lead before the break. First, former Potter Marko
Arnautovic was denied on the angle by the goalkeeper before Lanzini lined up
a 25 yarder which, again, Butland was on hand to save. Then, a huge opening
came the Hammers' way. Aaron Cresswell and Masuaku, brilliantly combining
down the left, managed to feed Austrian Arnautovic, but after some clever
footwork to find an opening, the summer signing smashed over the bar from
close range.

After the break, West Ham and Arnie were at it again. Cresswell delivered,
Arnatuovic won it, but his header fell onto the crossbar and over. There was
further frustration for Arnautovic nine minutes later, too. Receiving the
pass from Masuaku, the No7 had the Stoke half to drive into. Heading towards
goal, he checked back inside winger but, agonisingly, his shot was deflected
wide. Incredibly, the Hammers were once again inches away from getting a
second through Arnautovic once again. Lanzini, with time to pass, picked out
the forward in the box, and cutting onto his left foot, he fired goalwards.
Frustratingly, he hit the woodwork for the second time as his attempt
cannoned up off the crossbar. Stoke nearly made David Moyes' men pay on 72
minutes. Substitute Charlie Adam whipped a superb ball into the Hammers box,
and Shawcross, getting between Angelo Ogbonna and the returnining James
Collins cleverly, headed over when he may have done better. It was truly
end-to-end stuff at the Bet365 Stadium. That was proved a minute later when
West Ham broke, and Sakho side-footed Arnautovic's centre wide of the post
with more time than he realised. All those missed chances were then
forgotten, however. A quarter of an hour remained, and the Hammers decided
enough was enough. Lanzini played a one-two with Arnautovic, and – it had to
be him – the Austrian slotted under Butland to make it 2-0. Job done. Job
done, but the Hammers wanted more and they got it with four minutes
remaining. Lanzini, creative throughout the afternoon, slipped in substitute
Sakho, and the forward slotted home confidently to make it 3-0.

Stoke City: Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Wimmer, Pieters (Tymon 63),
Shaqiri, Fletcher (Adam 62), Allen, Ramadan, Diouf (Berahino 62), Crouch.
Subs not used: Grant, Choupo-Moting, Ngoy, Edwards.
Bookings: Wimmer 24, Shawcross 49

West Ham United: Adrian, Zabaleta, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku,
Noble (Rice 35), Obiang, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Antonio (Sakho 68).
Subs not used: Hart, Makasi, Haksabanovic, Chicharito, Ayew.
Goals: Noble (pen) 19, Arnautovic 75, Sakho 86

Bookings: Masuaku 60

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Moyes: At half-time, I told Arnautovic he would score!
WHUFC.com

West Ham United manager David Moyes, at half time in his side's clash with
Stoke City, told Marko Arnautovic he would score if he continued as he had
been playing; the Austrian bagged the Hammers' second as they recorded a 3-0
win at the Bet365 Stadium. The emphatic Premier League victory was West
Ham's biggest since their 4-1 thrashing of Swansea City last Boxing Day and
their first since the final day three points at Burnley last season. And
after four points had been collected against Chelsea and Arsenal at London
Stadium earlier in the week, manager Moyes was delighted as former Potters
attacker Arnautovic led his team to a win and third consecutive clean sheet.
"The team all mucked in and did their jobs and defensively we kept another
clean sheet which is always good when you're at the wrong end of the table,"
the boss said. "It was a great win in a really difficult game for us. We're
in a really tough and busy period and getting the first goal today was
crucial. "We came in at half time and I told Marko I was annoyed at him! He
should have scored two in the first half. "But I also said that if he keeps
doing what he's doing, he'll score in the second half and he did in the end.
"He probably had three or four chances and in truth he should have maybe
come away with the match ball. But he's really beginning to become a really
important player for us. "I'd like to get him to even higher levels but his
work rate has been phenomenal in four games for us. It really has been."

Mark Noble scored the Hammers' opener from the penalty spot after just 19
minutes, after referee Graham Scott pointed to the penalty spot when Manuel
Lanzini was fouled by Eric Pieters. Arnautovic hit the woodwork twice before
he slipped a shot under Butland following a well-worked one-two with Lanzini
to double the visitors' lead, and late on, substitute Diafra Sakho collected
another brilliant pass from the Argentinian and slotted home confidently.
But it was the defence which impressed Moyes, in particular. James Collins
returned to the starting XI following Winston Reid's suspension and was
solid, winning everything that was thrown at him. And when Noble had to be
substituted due to injury, youngster Declan Rice stepped into midfield and
guarded the back five with impressive composure.
"James Collins came in and he headed things, he dealt with things," the
gaffer continued. "It was a decision with Declan or Ginge, but Ginge came in
and showed his experience. "But Declan came on in midfield and did very well
in place of Mark Noble. "My big worry after Arsenal was that we had less
time to recover and we were struggling a bit for players so we had to bring
a few off; [Michail] Antonio for Chicharito and we ran out midfielders when
Noble came off. Young Declan came on and did very well. "I think Stoke has
always been a difficult place to come and win. They're few and far between,
wins for me here, and so that makes it a good job. They put in crosses,
balls to peter Crouch, and we defended incredibly well and made sure we
blocked any shots they had. "I still think when we broke, we passed it and
we played much better football today when we got it and that's why we got a
few chances as well."

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Noble proud to mark 300th Premier League game with a win
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble was a proud West Ham United captain after marking his 300th
Premier League appearance with the opening goal in Saturday's 3-0 Premier
League win at Stoke City. The Hammers overcame the distraction of an
hour-long delay due to a power cut at the bet365 Stadium to produce an
electric performance in the Potteries. After Noble had set David Moyes' side
on their way with a first-half penalty, the visitors created and missed a
succession of chances to put the game out of sight before former Stoke star
Marko Arnautovic and substitute Diafra Sakho did just that late on. Having
now taken seven points from games with Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke without
conceding a single goal and climbed out of the relegation zone, the skipper
was all smiles. "It was a good performance, all in all, and we've kept three
clean sheets in a week, which is some achievement, especially with the
opposition we've played against," he said. "Stoke away is a tough place to
come and then we had an hour-long delay. We sat in the changing room all
ready to go out, then we had to start our preparations again. "It was
obviously nice to get on the scoresheet in my 300th Premier League game. I
had slightly twinged my hamstring against Arsenal. We played three games in
a week and really dug in and I think it was a little bit too much for my
right hamstring!
After leading from the front against Chelsea and Arsenal, Noble again took
the responsibility on his shoulders when Manuel Lanzini was fouled by Erik
Pieters, ignoring a hostile home crowd to send Jack Butland the wrong way to
net his 49th goal in Claret and Blue – a fitting way to mark his landmark
appearance.
"I don't think I'll really appreciate it until I finish playing. This was my
300th Premier League appearance and it's unbelievable. I can remember my
first game for West Ham, playing for the reserves when I was 14… "To make
300 Premier League appearances is just fantastic and it was nice to get on
the scoresheet as well. I planned it by turning them around before kick-off,
even though I got booed by their fans at the time!"
While the Stoke supporters were first frustrated and then departed early in
their droves, the Claret and Blue Army were rewarded for waiting an extra
hour in the cold and rain with a first away win of the Premier League season
and a biggest win on the road since Boxing Day last year. "Our fans were
fantastic and we've given them that belief now that they're going to come
and watch us and we're going to get a result. The support they gave Arthur,
Arnie and the boys was great and we thank them for that. "Marko hit the bar
twice and finally he managed to score one, then Diaf, we all know that when
he is in that position, he hardly ever misses. "It was a great day for all
of us. The whole squad played their part. But we can't dwell on it as we've
got a massive game on Tuesday night [at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup] and
another massive game at home to Newcastle, so we just need to keep being
resilient, keep scoring goals and keep winning football matches."

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Cresswell: What more can you ask for?
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell praised his West Ham United for ignoring a pre-match power
cut to produce an electric performance at Stoke City. The Hammers were in
irresistible form at the bet365 Stadium, where the lights went out just over
an hour before kick-off, delaying the start of the match for 60 minutes.
When they did finally take to the pitch, David Moyes' team were deserved 3-0
winners, scoring through Mark Noble's first-half penalty and second-half
strikes from former Potter Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho. Having
defeated champions Chelsea 1-0 and held Arsenal to a goalless draw earlier
in the week, Cresswell said the dressing room was a happy place after
Saturday's success. "We're delighted, especially as that's three clean
sheets on a spin!" he smiled. "The main thing was that we got the three
points. Obviously, it was a tough sort of afternoon, with the game being
delayed, but all the lads were brilliant and we relaxed for the hour we had
to wait. "I thought the lads were excellent today. I thought Marko was
brilliant, along with Michail. On another day with more luck, Arnie could
have had a hat-trick but he's got the second goal and sealed the win. "We
defended well, went forward well, got three goals, three points and a clean
sheet. It hasn't been good enough. Stoke away is never easy, but we got
three points. What more can you ask for?"

West Ham return to action as early as Tuesday evening, when they travel to
Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, before welcoming Newcastle United
to London Stadium for the final Premier League home game of the year next
Saturday afternoon.

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Stoke City 0-3 West Ham United
By Greg O'Keeffe
BBC Sport

Stoke manager Mark Hughes said fan unrest was "understandable" after a 3-0
defeat by West Ham piled further pressure on him. The Potters have now lost
five of their last six and conceded the most goals in the Premier League,
and chants of "Hughes out" and "sacked in the morning" greeted the final
whistle. This latest defeat, which included a penalty by Mark Noble that
Hughes accused West Ham's Manuel Lanzini of diving to win, put Stoke one
point and one place above the relegation zone. Further goals from ex-Stoke
player Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho added to their misery in a loss
that came a week after fans at a train station vented their anger at the
Potters squad following a 5-1 thrashing by Tottenham. "That's
understandable," Hughes said. "Up to 75 minutes before the second goal, I
thought the fans were absolutely magnificent, they were driving us on,
totally behind us. "Like ourselves on the bench, as soon as the second goal
went in it took the wind out of our sails, you get a little bit anxious, a
little bit angry then you get a response but for the most part I thought
they were great."

Kick-off was delayed by an hour at the Bet365 Stadium because of a power
outage, and many home fans left early as a grim-faced Hughes looked on.
Lanzini tumbles as Stoke's Erik Pieters makes a challenge. Mark Hughes
called it a "dive" but David Moyes said his player "went over with fatigue"
Hughes feels his side are in a downward cycle of unjust decisions against
them. He criticised referee Martin Atkinson for not sending off Liverpool's
Simon Mignolet when he tripped Mame Biram Diouf during the Potters' 3-0 home
defeat in November. Now he is angered that Graham Scott pointed to the spot
when Lanzini went to ground under minimal contact from Pieters. "It's the
way our luck is going at the moment," the Potters boss said. "Things are
conspiring against us and we need help from referees to get things right.
"I've seen it again. The guy's dived. He's drawn the challenge. He's a
clever player. It was clearly a dive and the ref's seen something that
no-one else saw. All in all, it was a poor sequence of events for him and
for us. "It sounds like sour grapes when you talk about people getting
punished retrospectively. It doesn't help us now."

Noble converted the penalty, while Austria international Arnautovic should
have had a hat-trick, hitting the woodwork twice in the second half before
finally finishing with his right foot into the bottom corner after a deft
exchange of passes with Lanzini. Substitute Sakho compounded Stoke's woes
when he collected the influential Lanzini's through ball and slotted coolly
past keeper Jack Butland. They call Marko Arnautovic 'Arnie' at London
Stadium, and the Austrian shares a steely determination with some of his
Hollywood namesake's biggest movie roles. He was booed relentlessly by Stoke
fans unable to forgive him for his £20m summer move to the capital. But the
28-year-old, who was told he must work harder or risk being dropped when
David Moyes arrived in November, used the barracking as motivation. He
braved the catcalls after he missed several strong chances, and hit the bar
twice, and kept plugging away without letting his head drop. When he was
replaced on 79 minutes former boss Hughes demanded he hurry off the pitch
and a Stoke scarf was thrown at the striker from the stands. Arnautovic's
response? He gave jubilant West Ham fans in the away end the Hammers'
crossed-arm 'irons' symbol and headed straight down the tunnel.


Xherdan Shaqiri had more touches (78), shots (six) and key passes (four)
than any Stoke team-mate. Centre-back Ryan Shawcross had four efforts but no
forwards other than Shaqiri had more than two. They are having a party at
Stoke's stadium tonight. More than 500 partygoers will toast the festive
season at a pre-booked corporate event, but the Potters fans among them will
not feel much like celebrating. This latest setback against fellow
strugglers puts even more pressure on next Saturday's similarly high-stake
game against second-bottom West Brom and also on manager Mark Hughes. Stoke
chairman Peter Coates has denied Hughes is facing the sack, but the problems
are mounting for a side who are now one point and one place above the
relegation zone. Luck appears to have abandoned them with big officiating
decisions, such as the close call for Noble's penalty. They are also not
helped by their over-reliance on playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri to provide a
spark - he is just not being supported enough by other forwards. Finally,
they keep conceding softly - they have now gone behind first in their last
five outings. Here their best chances fell to captain Ryan Shawcross, who
could not get a string of headers on target. Something must change or the
mood will continue to darken in Stoke, like the lights at the stadium when
the power went before kick-off.

Man of the match - Manuel Lanzini (West Ham)
Manuel Lanzini (left) may well have gone down dubiously for the penalty that
put his side ahead but his performance was compelling with four key passes,
two assists and more passes (62) than any other West Ham player

West Ham gaining momentum - David Moyes
West Ham manager David Moyes told Match of the Day: "The result went our way
and it was an important win. We're gaining momentum and at times we showed
that. On the penalty: "The defender gave the referee a decision to make.
Manuel Lanzini ran about 70 yards so I think he went over with fatigue
rather than a dive. I'd be disappointed to give away a penalty like that but
sometimes that's the way it goes. "We had to deal with a lot of stuff but we
missed good chances. I was annoyed with Marko at half-time as he had the
chance to get two. He's doing really well and I said to him at half-time he
would score. "Clean sheets are one of the things you want to do. Don't shout
about it too much as we're going to need a few more."

Stoke 'damaged' by penalty decision - Mark Hughes
Stoke manager Mark Hughes on Match of the Day: "We huffed and puffed, up to
the point of the second goal we were in it. We were damaged by a poor
decision - it allowed them to get people behind the ball. They're a threat
on the attack and in the end that's what's taken the game from us. "When we
try and be expansive we can't go one v one, we get picked off. We've got to
be better in that regard."

One clean sheet in 16 for Stoke - the stats
Stoke have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League games.
This is the first time since March 2014 (Manchester United) that a side
managed by David Moyes has kept three consecutive clean sheets in the
Premier League.
Stoke City have lost five of their last six matches in the Premier League,
winning the other.
Manuel Lanzini provided two assists and won the penalty in this match - it
is only the second time that Lanzini has assisted two goals in a single
Premier League game (also against Middlesbrough in January 2017).
Marko Arnautovic is the third player to score against Stoke in the Premier
League having previously played for them in the competition (also Wilfried
Bony and Seyi Olofinjana).
This was Stoke City's 50th home defeat in the Premier League.
Mark Noble made his 300th appearance for West Ham United, the first player
to reach this milestone for the club in the Premier League.
Of Mark Noble's 34 Premier League goals, 19 have come from the penalty spot
(56%).
What's next?
Stoke City host West Brom next Saturday (15:00 GMT), while West Ham are at
the Emirates to play Arsenal in their Caribao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday
(19:45).

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STOKE 0-3 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
AUTHOR: BRIAN KNOX. PUBLISHED: 16 DECEMBER 2017 AT 6:35PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Match Report by @WestHamAmerican

West Ham defeated Stoke City today in a delayed-start Premier League match
at the Bet365 stadium. The delay was due to a local power outage, but once
play began, the Hammers continued their more aggressive ways and recent good
form as they took the early lead. In the 19th minute of play, Manuel
Lanzini on a drive to goal was taken down in the penalty area, earning the
Hammers a spot kick. Mark Noble was able to connect and the visiting club
took the 1-0 lead.

Fifteen minutes later, Noble picked up a knock and asked for a substitution,
which brought on Declan Rice.

Prior to the half Marco Arnautovic had two chances to increase the score
against his former club. The first found a poor angle that aided Butland's
stop, and the second he took a well-played ball from Arthur Masuaku but his
strike was well over the goal.

While the hosts began the second half with a renewed attacking spirit, once
again West Ham were able to hold a third consecutive clean sheet as this
defense, absent Winston Reid who is serving a suspension, held the Potters
off. The biggest story of the second half was Arnatovic's missed
opportunities. The former Stoke man had multiple shots that either missed
the goal or found the post. The same could be said on the other side for
Ryan Shawcross, who was unable to find his shot, despite numerous close
calls.

Finally in the 75th minute of play, Arnautovic played the role of villain to
the Stoke fans as he took the ball from a very crisp Lanzini and shot past
Butland to extend the Hammer's lead. Arnie seemed to have fun with his
return to Stoke as more than once he flashed the crossed hammers sign to the
home supporters. After his substitution he left straight for the tunnel, to
avoid debris thrown from the home stands.

However, the home stands weren't very formidable after Diafra Sakho took a
masterful pass from Lanzini and slotted it into the far corner to give West
Ham a 0-3 lead and a certain three points. By the time Sakho scored the
Hammer's third, the ground was emptied except for the traveling West Ham
supporters.

As the final time whistle sounded, it meant that West Ham was finally out of
the bottom three and playing their busy December matches in great form under
the leadership of David Moyes. Both West Ham and Crystal Palace have seemed
to reverse their fortunes under new managers, as both climbed to safety
today. East London fans will get a break from Premier League action as
their club visits Arsenal for a League Cup tie on Tuesday and then West Ham
have a three game series of very winnable Premier League matches, to finish
the year.

Moyes has the fans believing, and Lanzini playing like his 2015-16 self. He
also has Arnautovic playing like a record-signing should. Once Javier
Hernandez returns to full health, and Antonio can survive a full 90 minutes,
this team could be very dangerous for the final half of the season.

Stoke City: Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Fletcher, Allen Ramadan, Diouf,
Crouch, Wimmer, Pieters, Shaqiri
Subs: Grant, Berahino (63'), Choupo-Moting, Tymon (63'), Adam (62'), Ngoy,
Edwards

West Ham: Adrian, Zabaleta, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Noble,
Obiang, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Antonio
Subs: Hart, Rice (35'), Makasi, Haksabanovic, Chicharito (79'), Sakho (68'),
Ayew

Referee: Graham Scott

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Stoke 0-3 West Ham: Marko Arnautovic on target to compound former side's
woes
By Pete Hall
Last Updated: 16/12/17 6:35pm
SSN

Marko Arnautovic was on target against his former club as West Ham moved out
of the bottom three with a 3-0 win at Stoke. The match was delayed by an
hour due to a power outage, but when we did finally get up and running under
the lights, Mark Noble - on his 300th Premier League appearance - stroked
West Ham into a 19th-minute lead from the spot after referee Graham Scott
adjudged Erik Pieters to have felled Manuel Lanzini in the box. Stoke were
incredulous, believing Lanzini to have gone down too easily.

The returning Arnautovic, who was a real threat all afternoon, having
mustered six shots at goal in the match, finally made one of his chances
count in the 75th minute, after combining superbly with Lanzini, before
substitute Diafra Sakho slid in a late third to make sure of the three
points. Stoke's worst start to a Premier League season continues after a
fifth defeat in their last six league games leaves them looking over their
shoulder in 17th, while West Ham capped a fine week by climbing to 15th.

Player ratings
Stoke: Butland (6), Pieters (5), Wimmer (4), Cameron (5), Shawcross (4),
Allen (5), Diouf (3), Sobhi (4), Fletcher (5), Crouch (5), Shaqiri (6).
Subs: Berahino (4), Tymon (6), Adam (6).

West Ham: Adrian (6), Cresswell (8), Zabaleta (6), Collins (7), Masuaku (8),
Ogbonna (7), Obiang (6), Noble (7), Lanzini (9), Antonio (7), Arnautovic
(9).
Subs: Sakho (7), Chicharito (6), Rice (7).

Man of the match: Marko Arnautovic

The game burst to life in the 18th minute, as Ryan Shawcross got up highest
to meet a free-kick, but his header came out off the post and West Ham
countered immediately. Lanzini carried the ball into the box, dragged it
away from the outstretched leg of Pieters, went down, and the referee
pointed to the spot before Noble stepped up to take the penalty. Replays
show Lanzini may have been going down before contact was made. Arnautovic,
who was treated to a hostile reception on his first return to the bet365
Stadium, then almost made it two after capitalising on a missed header from
Pieters, but Jack Butland spread himself well to make the block, before the
Austria international then fired over as the half-time whistle approached.

Team news

For the fourth game running, Joe Hart had to make do with a place on the
bench, with Adrian continuing in goal. Just one enforced change for West Ham
from the draw with Arsenal, with James Collins coming in for the suspended
Winston Reid.As expected Kurt Zouma missed out for Stoke, with Kevin Wimmer
replacing him in the starting XI.

After the break, Arnautovic again remained the danger, as he again went
close. The excellent Arthur Masuaku fed him down the left flank, Arnautovic
cut inside, fired for goal, but Kevin Wimmer made the block, with the ball
skewing into the side-netting. Another effort at goal and another Arnautovic
chance was next up, but this time the former Stoke forward was denied by the
crossbar after brilliantly controlling and shooting for goal from the edge
of the box. It seemed like it would only be a matter of time before the
returning villain made his mark, and sure enough, 15 minutes from time, he
found the net. The pass into Lanzini was perfect, but the flicked return
from Lanzini exquisite, as he chipped the ball into the path of Arnautovic,
who smashed the ball under Butland to make it two. A lively celebration, in
front of the Stoke fans, ensued.

Eleven minutes later, it was three. Lanzini was at the heart of it again, as
he fed Sakho, who passed the ball into the net to put the seal on another
fine West Ham performance, intensifying the pressure on Mark Hughes'
shoulders in the process.

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STOKE CITY 0, WEST HAM UNITED 3. SOOOO MUCH BETTER.
By David Hautzig 16 Dec 2017 at 18:43
WTID

The cliche is so overused it borders on ridiculous. Yet here I am, about to
use it again.

It's a game of inches.

If Chicharito's curling effort on Wednesday curled an inch more, we are on
16 points. Out of the drop zone. The optimism we feel a bit of now would be
full blown euphoria. But it didn't go in. We are in 19th, no better off
table wise than we were after the disaster at Everton. But we are playing
better. Crystal Palace were de facto relegated a few weeks ago and now look
at them. Who, other than probably god and every living West Ham supporter
walking the earth, says we won't go on an even better run and be comfortably
mid table in a month?

The first seven minutes of the match were spent trying to sort out the truly
abysmal performance of NBC Sports streaming service, for which I paid. I got
it running on the iPad just as Obiang was warned for doing something. Not
sure what, but the guy in black looked annoyed. Then my son hurt himself on
a Lego piece, so First Aid was applied from minute seven to minute thirteen.
Finally, with the iPad leaning on a box of paper clips, West Ham won a
corner. The delivery was weak, but West Ham were able to keep the ball in
the Stoke end. That bit of possession ended when Lanzini drove towards the
box with Arnautovic crossing in front of him. Lanzini expected his teammate
to zig. When he zagged instead, the threat for whatever it was worth was
over.

When West Ham played as well as they ever have in the final year at Upton
Park, it was the counter attack that played the crucial role. In the 16th
minute, Stoke won a free kick from 25 yards out. Shaqiri sent it into the
box right onto the head of Shawcross. His soft header looked to be a simple
pickup for Adrian. But the ball rolled to the Spaniard's left and off the
post. West Ham cleared and broke on a counter with Lanzini leading the way.
As he cut to his left inside the box, he fought off a challenge from Allen.
But Pieters followed his teammate, and Lanzini went down. Replays showed the
penalty was soft at best, and perhaps a dive at worst. But we have been on
the wrong end of so many of those kinds of decisions I was happy to accept
the gift. Noble stepped up and buried it, and West Ham were on top.

Stoke 0
West Ham 1

As the first half continued, The Hammers continued to look defensively solid
and organized. Stoke certainly tried to penetrate, but most attacks ended
with a hopeful ball into the middle for Crouch. A strategy we can certainly
sympathize with.

Mark Noble, for all of his service to the club, is a divisive figure at this
stage in his career. Many supporters have long called for the end of his
days in the starting eleven. But over the past few matches, Noble has been
critical to West Ham's success. So when he came off injured in the 34th
minute, my heart sank. Not because Rice wasn't capable, but because things
had started to click for us. Without Noble, I wondered if the balance we had
found would be lost. Minutes later, Stoke won a free kick but Cresswell
cleared. Moments later, Arnautovic was sent in alone by an inadvertent
header off of a Stoke player. Butland closed down the angle and knocked the
ball out for a corner.

Stoke came back down the other end and Shaqiri sent two very fine crosses
into the box, but on both occasions nobody was there to receive the
knockdowns from Crouch or Shawcross. Moments later, Lanzini tried a long,
low drive that forced Butland into a diving save to his left.

In the first minute of added time, Cresswell intercepted a pass from Ramadan
and broke into the Stoke end. He found Arnautovic in the box, ten yards from
goal. The former Stoke player did well to beat both men in the box, but when
he should have scored he didn't even hit the target. That had "only if"
written all over it.

Halftime
Stoke 0
West Ham 1

Stoke won a corner in the opening minute of the second half when a Ramadan
shot from just outside the box went off Zabaleta. The Shaqiri delivery found
Diouf in front of goal, but his header went over the bar. Stoke continued on
the front foot and won a free kick moments later but Shaqiri sent it right
to Adrian.

Masuaku is very, very good on the ball. In the 50th minute he dribbled into
a crowd that wouldn't have looked out of place on a train platform. But
somehow he came out of the crowd and won a free kick. Cresswell's delivery
found Arnautovic at the far post but his attempted header back towards goal
went over the bar. The home side followed that by winning a handful of set
pieces, but the Hammers were resolute.

Hernandez has scored more goals against Stoke than any other team in England
other than Wigan. Just saying in case Moyes was curious.

Back to the game.

In the 59th minute, West Ham should have been elated with a two-nil lead.
Arnautovic made a fantastic run and was fed in all alone. He dropped his
right shoulder and tried to beat Butland at the near post but hit the side
netting. It looked in, which made the reality even more disappointing.

By the 65th minute, the action was utterly frantic. Both sides tried to
attack after misplaced opposition passes. But neither side could keep up
their pressure. Antonio looked gassed, but instead of Hernandez it was Sakho
that replaced him. In the 68th minute, Arnautovic had yet another great look
at goal but his left footed effort went off the bar. It could have been
three for him on his return to the Bet365.

Stoke won a corner in the 72nd minute when a Charlie Adam won a corner after
his shot was deflected out by Obiang. West Ham dealt with the set piece, but
Stoke came back with yet another ball from Adam. This time it was a cross
that found Shawcross in front of Adrian. For all of Arnautovic's chances for
us, Shawcross had his for Stoke. And just like his former teammate, he
couldn't find the net.

The law of averages says that if you have enough chances as a footballer,
eventually you will have some success. In the 75th minute, Arnautovic had
the ball near the top of the Stoke eighteen yard box. He rolled a pass to
Lanzini, and made the perfect give and go move into the box. Lanzini found
him, and the man Stoke supporters love to despise….hate is too soft a
word…slid it past Butland.

Stoke 0
West Ham 2

West Ham should have made it three in the 83rd minute when Hernandez and
Sakho broke on a counter. Hernandez seemed to have enough time to make a
soufflé let alone take a shot. He decided to pass to Sakho, who first tried
to chest the ball over the line from three yards out. When that didn't work,
a cheeky back heel was next on the agenda. Neither idea found the back of
the net.

Finally, Obiang released Lanzini and Sakho on a counter. The wantaway man
from Senegal timed his run perfectly, Lanzini timed his pass perfectly, and
Sakho took his chance perfectly.

Stoke 0
West Ham 3

A few minutes later West Ham looked to better their goal difference, and it
was Hernandez that could have added a fourth. He broke into the box and
tried to beat Butland from a few yards out. But the angle was too tight, and
the ball went out for a corner.

There was a moment in added time that caught my eye. We were up by three. We
could have been up by six. The three points were ours. Done and dusted.
Stoke had the ball and pressed forward down the left, because it's probably
not acceptable to just say "I'm through with this" and walk off. Like gnats
buzzing around your head, West Ham defenders harassed any Stoke player with
a sniff of the ball. Did they want the clean sheet? Or have they just
rediscovered the joy of defending well? Whatever it was, it was lovely to
behold.

Final Score
Stoke 0
West Ham 3

"Seven points from three above. Now we need seven from three below. Stoke
was above us going into today" was the text I received from my best mate,
Jon. Who, by the way, was furious to see Bilic go and lectured me that Moyes
was an awful choice. There is a lot of time left in the life and times of
West Ham under Moyes, so the final verdict is yet to be read by the jury.
But it would be hard to say we are worse off than we were a month ago.

Oh, and if ANYBODY on our board tries to take ANY credit for this, they had
better re-consider. Sometimes less is more. And in their case, saying
nothing is the best option.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Marko Arnautovic returns to haunt Stoke as West Ham clinch victory
Stoke City 0 West Ham United 3: Mark Noble, Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho were
all on target for the Hammers
The Independent Sport

Stoke slumped to a fifth defeat in six to heap further pressure on Mark
Hughes as West Ham's Marko Arnautovic came back to haunt his old club in a
3-0 win. Chants of "Hughes Out" and "sacked in the morning" were heard from
home supporters at the bet365 Stadium, where kick-off had been delayed by an
hour due to a power cut. Once proceedings got under way, David Moyes' West
Ham were sent on their way by a controversially-awarded Mark Noble penalty,
which could result in retrospective punishment for Manuel Lanzini after he
appeared to dive, and Hughes' mood was darkened further by goals from
Arnautovic and substitute Diafra Sakho. It was particularly galling for
Hughes that Arnautovic got on scoresheet given he was booed throughout
having forced through a £25m summer move to the Hammers, who moved above the
Potters in the table with this win. Stoke chairman Peter Coates had
identified this fixture and last Tuesday's with Burnley as pivotal and
Hughes' position may now be precarious after two defeats.
A sign things would go wrong for Stoke on a pivotal afternoon arrived around
an hour before kick-off when power was lost. It remained out for almost an
hour, delaying kick-off and leaving thousands of fans outside the stadium
because the turnstiles could not be operated. A week after some fans
confronted his team, who had just been beaten 5-1 by Tottenham, at Stoke
station, Hughes may have feared a growing irritation among supporters again
before the game finally started. s it was, anger was replaced by
exasperation when West Ham led, moments after Ryan Shawcross' header from
Xherdan Shaqiri's free-kick had come back off the post. As the ball came
out, referee Geoff Scott did not give another free-kick to the visitors when
Arthur Masuaku appeared to foul Shaqiri on the edge of West Ham's box, and
from there the Hammers broke with Lanzini riding three Stoke challenges
before going down in the box. Erik Pieters was foolish to dive in but
contact was only initiated between the two after Lanzini had already thrown
himself to the ground. Successful deception of a match official incurs a
retrospective ban this year, but the man who mattered at the time was
convinced and Noble stroked home the opener.
If another fuse was to blow in the stadium it looked like being Hughes' when
he mimicked a diving action as Michail Antonio won a free-kick near his
bench by tripping himself up. His fury would surely be cranked up if
Arnautovic added a second and having missed multiple opportunities either
side of the break he finally hit back at the boo boys. The forward had
missed two one-on-ones, hit the woodwork twice and crossed his arms in a
West Ham salute before collecting Lanzini's pass and firing under Jack
Butland's legs. He continued to play the pantomime villain role to
perfection as he was substituted, arguing with Shawcross and hearing Hughes
vent his anger towards him before picking up a t-shirt thrown at him from
the crowd. Substitute Sakho slide in a late third, ensuring West Ham
collected seven points in eight days to provide Coates with evidence of the
upturn in form a new manager can provide.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Stoke 0 West Ham 3: Mark Hughes fighting for his job as Marko Arnautovic
returns to haunt former club
Jon Culley, bet365 stadium
16 DECEMBER 2017 • 6:21PM
Telegraph.co.uk

Stoke's troubles went from bad to worse in a match delayed for an hour by an
electrical failure, leaving manager Mark Hughes probably wishing it had not
gone ahead at all. As if a contentious first-half penalty was not enough for
the Welshman fighting for his job as his side's season falls apart, his
former star Marko Arnautovic, who forced a summer move to West Ham by asking
for a transfer, rubbed salt in the wounds by putting the result beyond Stoke
with a quarter of an hour remaining. Substitute Diafra Sakho turned defeat
into a humiliation for Stoke by adding a third West Ham goal inside the last
five minutes. The result – West Ham's first away win of the season –
continues their recovery under new manager David Moyes, who has seen them
take seven points from their last three Premier League matches, including a
win over defending champions Chelsea.
Stoke, meanwhile, have lost five out of their last six matches and nine out
of their last 14 to drop to 17th in the table, just a point outside the
bottom three and looking uncomfortably like relegation contenders. The Stoke
fans, already not best pleased at being made to wait outside while
generators put out of action by a power surge were fixed, had been in no
mood to take perceived injustices lightly. Having worked themselves into a
fury over the return of Arnautovic following his 'betrayal' of their
support, they were livid when referee Graham Scott awarded an 18th-minute
penalty after Manuel Lanzini tumbled under an Erik Pieters tackle.
It came moments after Ryan Shawcross had hit the post at the other end with
a header from a Xherdan Shaqiri free kick. West Ham broke from defence and
after the Oxfordshire official had ruled no foul as Shaqiri came out worse
in a challenge with Arthur Masuaku, the ball found its way to Lanzini, who
charged half the length of the field before Pieters was able to range
upsides in the penalty area and attempt to stop him. The Dutchman's tackle
was not the cleanest but his contact with Lanzini's boot did not seem to
warrant the Argentine's theatrical fall. Nonetheless, referee Scott pointed
to the spot and, once the protests had stopped, Mark Noble sent Jack Butland
the wrong way from the spot. To add insult to injury, Michail Antonio then
won a free-kick right in front of a furious Hughes with an even more
ill-disguised dive. Stoke responded with vigour but West Ham contained them
well and continued to pose serious danger going forward, even after the loss
of Noble to injury after 34 minutes forced them to regroup.
Arnautovic, who had a fine match, had chances to make himself still more
unpopular, foiled by a Butland block after getting in behind the Stoke
defence, and then scooping over the bar just before half-time after some
clever footwork in the box. In between, Butland did well to beat away a
long-range Lanzini effort that swerved at the last moment. The Austrian had
another opportunity 15 minutes into the second half as Masuaku set him up
only for Kevin Wimmer to arrive in the nick of time to divert his shot away
for a corner when it seemed certain he would score. Seven minutes later,
with Stoke not lacking in effort but still unable to find any quality in
their attacking play, he went close again, this time hitting the bar with a
curling left-foot effort from the right-hand portion of the box, with
Butland beaten.
Stoke fans bayed "what a waste of money" at the object of their ire, yet the
vitriol seemed only to spur him on as a decent attempt at a volley from an
angle on the right flashed into the side netting. With the match well into
its final quarter, and Hughes having sent on Charlie Adam, Saido Berahino
and Josh Tymon in a triple substitution, Shawcross had probably Stoke's best
chance of an equaliser when he managed to beat Angelo Ogbonna to an Adam
cross but headed over the bar. Arnautovic's efforts were rewarded with 15
minutes remaining when he ran on to a clever return pass from Lanzini and
poked the ball wide of Butland from eight yards. It was a second goal in
three matches by the attacker, at last delivering a return on his £24
million club record fee. Cries of "Hughes out" began to rise from the
Boothen End but by the time Sakho was fed by man-of-the-match Lanzini to
complete the Hammers' victory most of the home fans had already headed for
the exits.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manuel Lanzini accused of penalty 'dive' as David Moyes claims West Ham star
went down due to 'fatigue'
TOM DOYLE
ES Sport

David Moyes has backed Manuel Lanzini after Stoke manager Mark Hughes
accused the playmaker of diving to win a penalty in West Ham's 3-0 away win
on Saturday. The key moment came 19 minutes into the Premier League clash at
the bet365 Stadium, with West Ham breaking as Lanzini rode three Stoke
challenges before going down in the box. Erik Pieters was foolish to dive in
but contact was only initiated between the two after Lanzini had already
thrown himself to the ground. Successful deception of a match official
incurs a retrospective ban this year, but referee Geoff Scott was convinced
and Noble stroked home the opener.
Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho went on to add two second-half goals to
secure a comfortable win for the Hammers, but Hughes was far from happy with
Lanzini's actions. We huffed and puffed, up to the point of the second goal
we were in it," Hughes told BBC's Match of the Day. "We were damaged by a
poor decision it allowed them to get people behind the ball. They're a
threat on the attack and in the end that's what's taken the game from us.
"When we try and be expansive we can't go one v one, we get picked off.
We've got to be better in that regard." "It's the way our luck is going at
the moment. You convince yourself that luck will change and we've got to
keep that mindset. Things are conspiring against us and we need help from
referees to get things right. That's the hope moving forward, that we get
cut some slack. "I've seen it again. The guy's dived. He's drawn the
challenge. He's a clever player. It was clearly a dive and the ref's seen
something that no-one else saw. All in all it was a poor sequence of events
for him and for us. "It sounds like sour grapes when you talk about people
getting punished retrospectively. It doesn't help us now."
However, West Ham boss Moyes admitted that while the penalty may have been a
soft decision, Lanzini's actions were the result of tiredness rather than
purely an attempt at deception. "The defender gave the referee a decision to
make," he told Match of the Day. "Manuel Lanzini ran about 70 yards so I
think he went over with fatigue rather than a dive. I'd be disappointed to
give away a penalty like that but sometimes that's the way it goes. "We had
to deal with a lot of stuff but we missed good chances. I was annoyed with
Marko at half-time as he had the chance to get two. He's doing really well
and I said to him at half-time he would score.
"Clean sheets are one of the things you want to do. Don't shout about it too
much as we're going to need a few more."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes transcript: every word from West Ham boss on "phenomenal" Arnautovic
and thumping Stoke
The Hammers boss was full of beans after the 3-0 win at the bet365
By Sam Inkersole
West Ham Correspondent
18:56, 16 DEC 2017
Football London

It's easy this manager lark, isn't it?
I wish it was.

It was a difficult game for us, it was always going to be. Sometimes,
getting the first goal makes a big difference in these games but then we had
to withstand buts of pressure at different times but we also id have other
chances in the first half to make it two or three nil. But when you don't
score the second, there is always a chance and they put us under pressure
but thankfully, we defended really well like we have done recently.

It was almost as if you produced a Stoke-like performance

I think Stoke has always been difficult to beat, it's never easy to come
here and get a result so I think the job we done was really, really good.
Even at 2-0, you can never be safe because they are throwing balls to
Crouch, putting crosses into the box. We defended incredibly well, all the
boys at the back did, blocked any shots they had time after time.But, when
we broke, I thought we passed it well, played much better with the football
when we got it.

After the three big games previously there was a danger you could come here
and not sustain that, but you did

My big worry was that we had a day less recovery. Obviously, there are a few
dropping at the moment. Mark Noble has now got an injury, we had Zabaleta
with a dead leg from early on in the game, so we are finding ourselves
struggling for players. Even at the end, Marko Arnautovic had a calf strain
so we had to bring him off for Chicharito to go on the right as we ran out
of midfield players, even with Declan Rice coming on. We're all mucking in,
all doing their jobs and they are doing it well and defensively we have kept
another clean sheet which is always good at the wrong end of the table.

James Collins came in and was superb for you today

He was, he headed everything. It was a big decision with Declan or Ginge but
Ginge came in and showed his experience but I have got to say, Declan Rice
played very well in midfield.

What was your view of the penalty?

Yeah, I've seen it. I think the defender gives the ref a decision to make. I
would call it soft. I do think though that because of that, Manu has run 70
yards and has ran his race there, the defender going to ground means the ref
has the choice and I think that was the big thing, there is no intent of a
dive, he's riding a tackle more than anything. I think if you take the whole
action into consideration, I definitely don't see it being a dive. I see it
being tiredness from Manu at the end of it but not a dive, that's for sure.

You're very much against diving with your players

Totally. Not just against my players but in football in general.

Mark Noble, shame he had to go off on his 300th appearance

It really was. He's done superb, we think he's got a bit of a hamstring and
we are in a bus period, we are really short on midfield players and the boys
are having to put in a big effort. Mark Noble, great achievement, 300
Premier League games, good on him.

Marko Arnautovic got a rough reception but he was excellent, were you happy
with the effort he put in?

It was good, yes. I told him at half time, I was annoyed with him - he
should have scored two but I also said if he could keep it going, he would
score in the end and he did. He probably had three or four chances, in truth
he should have got a hat trick but he is starting to become a really, really
important player for us and I would like to gt him up to even higher levels
but his workrate has been phenomenal over the last three or four games, it
really has been.

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