Limp Hammers slump to another defeat

Manchester City 2 West Ham 0

Watched this one round at my mate Robert's house, where at least the TV definition was good, if not the team. With five at the back it was clear Moyes had come hoping for a draw or to at least keep down WHU's goal difference.

Early on Jesus dawdles on a chance allowing Fredericks to clear and then Ogbonna is lucky to escape conceding a penalty after grabbing Aguero by his privates. When West Ham do win an early corner they waste it. The Irons sit back and don't press City at all, which results in a training ground game of attack versus defence. Soucek is being bypassed and obviously hasn't faced anything like City before.

There's some hope after half an hour with the game still goalless. But then after a routine corner Rodri flicks on a header that glides past Fabianski. Had there been a man on the post he would have cleared it — it's still baffling why teams don't do this for corners. Fabianski keeps it down to one. Late on the lonely Antonio fires an inviting cross across the box only neither Rice or Snodgrass has gambled to get on the end of it. 

After the interval Rice makes a great early run from his own half to get in a cross but it's an isolated effort. The game is over when Cresswell is turned by Silva and De Bruyne beats Fabianski at his near post — an effort the keeper should have stopped. Fredericks goes off with a nasty-looking shoulder injury and sub Zabaleta is applauded by both sets of fans. 

The rest of the game is embarrassing for West Ham's lack of ambition as Fabianski prevents a third from Jesus. Bowen gets ten minutes at the end but it's bizarre of Moyes not to use a third substitute when Anderson, Lanzini and Haller are all on the bench. And where was Fornals? 

Yes, City are a great side and it's a relief not to get a tonking, but another way of improving our goal difference would have been to pull a goal back. The only slight positive was that Ogbonna and Diop were generally solid. We have to start Bowen alongside a striker and restore Anderson to the side. If West Ham remain this unambitious then we will be going down. The only good part of the evening was switching channels to watch Spurs lose at home to Red Bull...