Back of the net!

Just watched the West Ham website's video of all the WHU goals of 2020. Technically Sebastian Haller's overhead kick against Palace is the best, followed by Antonio's overhead against City. Though in terms of timing and who it's against my favourite is Lanzini's screamer in added time against Mourinho's Spurs. Another goal with brilliant timing was Yarmolenko's late winner against Chelsea. While I also enjoyed Declan Rice's rocket against Watford and then his run to David Moyes. 

For a team goal it's hard to beat the second against Wolves where Antonio bulldozes down the left and crosses for Fornals to hit the post and Bowen to net the rebound. Best header is Soucek's bullet against Watford and best control is Fornals' goal against Leicester. And spare a thought for Robert Snodgrass who has got a couple of cracking goals in the Carabao Cup without getting a run in the side. While the best thing about watching the video is that seemingly no-one ever scores against us...

Stalemate at the Saints

Southampton 0 West Ham 0

An away point isn't too bad a result considering Moyes makes five changes at in-form Southampton. The Saints dominate early on and Ings has the ball in the net after skipping too easily past Dawson and Ogbonna, but it's correctly ruled out for offside. The Hammers come into it more with Fredericks fluffing a good headed chance after Yarmolenko's cross is headed back by Fornals. Just before the break Lanzini has the chance to turn in the box but fires over.

The Irons attack with more intensity in the second half as Dawson has a solid game at the back and the Saints are restricted to a long range effort from Walcott and a tame shot from Walker-Peters. Craig Dawson also gets to inadvertently kick Adams in the head after a chance at a corner, so an eventful debut.

Benrahma gets half an hour and his ease on the ball helps West Ham become a better attacking force, while late cameos from Antonio and Bowen, on for the one-paced Yarmolenko, see the Hammers looking much more mobile in attack. The best chances are when Soucek heads into the ground from a Cresswell free kick and late on when Benrahma has a close range shot saved by McCarthy's arm after a mix-up in the Southampton defence. 

A poor game and we've not won in four but with so many fixtures at the festive period it's another point on the board. The old West Ham might have lost against Palace, Brighton and Southampton, whereas the new West Ham have got points from average performances. Now comes a tricky away game at Everton but if Moyes can play his strongest side then there is hope of a result. 

Noble should now be a squad player

Mark Noble is a West Ham legend, but I just hope David Moyes doesn't make the mistake Big Sam did with Kevin Nolan, and keep playing Nobes when he's past his best. Mark will be 34 in January and should be used as an experienced sub who can be brought on towards the end of games to protect a result. He has more skill than most people realise and did well in an advanced role at Norwich in the 4-0 win last season, but playing him as essentially a number ten against Chelsea and Brighton just hasn't worked. 

If Noble is going to get games it should be as a central midfielder when Rice and Soucek need a rest. But the fact is Rice and Soucek have made the central midfield positions their own this season and have been a major factor in West Ham's decent start. If Fornals needed to be rested it would have made much more sense to start Lanzini or Benrahma in the advanced midfield role against Brighton. Moyes needs to stay positive and resist a return to negative tactics. He acknowledged he got his selection wrong against Brighton by taking Noble off at half-time. Mark will always be loved by West Ham fans but we now have to select the best players in their natural positions. 

Soucek saves point for jaded Hammers

West Ham 2 Brighton 2

The afternoon begins with a very negative team selection from Moyes. He reverts to five at the back bringing in Ben Johnson, drops Fornals and brings in the ageing Mark Noble. The midfield of Rice, Soucek and Nobes just seems too similar in style and it's bizarre to leave the combined creative talents of Lanzini, Benrahma and Fornals on the bench.

The first half is a terrible performance, the worst of the season, and Rice and Soucek have rarely been so ineffective, while Noble scarcely gets a touch. The whole side looks tired which is odd as they've had six days' rest since Chelsea. Brighton dominate possession without penetrating too much until Maupay pops away a cross after Rice miskicks for Brightion to take a deserved lead. On WhatsApp my pal Fraser is all for sacking Moyes at half-time having booed the side off. Mind you, as Ben Johnson is up against Webster its not surprising there's a hint of tragedy. 

At least the West Ham boss corrects his own error at half-time, bringing on Lanzini and Yarmolenko for Noble and Bowen. Lanzini immediately wants the ball and West Ham look a lot more likely to create something. The equaliser comes when Yarmolenko gets in a decent cross and Lanzini prods the ball back to Ben Johnson, who shows composure to lift the ball into the net. Not often an Alchemist Elizabethan playwright scores for the Irons. 

WHU are still looking jaded though and it then goes wrong again as Dunk bundles in a corner as he gets ahead of Haller and Soucek. Dunk has some luck as the ball bounces off his chest and elbow into his path, though VAR rules it OK. 

But one thing the new West Ham side have this season is character and they keep attacking Brighton's four centre-backs. The equaliser arrives from a corner in the 82nd minute as Dunk gets under the ball and Soucek does well to power home a header. 

Happy to get a point from this after a very lacklustre performance, though a team with top half hopes should be beating Brighton. There needs to be a big improvement in the next matches at Southampton and Everton.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 6, Ogbonna 6, Balbuena 5, Cresswell 5, Johnson 7; Noble 4 (Lanzini 7), Rice 4, Soucek 6; Bowen 4 (Yarmolenko 6), Haller 4. 

Lack of cutting edge costs Hammers at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea 3 West Ham 0

Wasn't expecting too much from this after Chelsea's £222m summer spending blitz. Noble is back in the side as Moyes opts for a cautious approach. Declan Rice does have the ball in the Chelsea net early on after a clever free-kick, only for it to be correctly disallowed for offside.

It looks like a long evening when West Ham concede their first goal of the season from a set piece. Cresswell gets under the ball and Thiago Silva bullets home a header. Werner misses a great chance, firing against Fabianski, but the Irons respond well. Bowen has the ball in the net but is penalised for a push. West Ham's best efforts are a cross shot from Cresswell and a great run from Rice down the left which results in the ball being fired across Chelsea's goalmouth.

The second half sees West Ham dominating possession against a nervous Chelsea. Fornals fires a goalbound shot against a defender's legs, but generally Haller makes little progress against the excellent Thiago Silva and Zouma. Benrahma is brought on for Fornals but despite a succession of Coufal crosses it all comes to nothing.

Chelsea put the game to bed after 78 minutes as Werner's mishit falls to Abraham, who has been played onside by Cresswell. A couple of minutes later they get a third as Pulisic challenges Fabianski, whose punch is fired back in to the goal by Abraham. It's a rather flattering score and could have been worse as Werner then hits the bar. 

West Ham's lack of cutting edge is worrying as is Cresswell being exposed at left back rather than a third central defender, but then again Chelsea spent more on Chilwell than West Ham's entire summer budget. We now move on to Brighton and need a victory.

I don't want to go to Chelsea

With West Ham playing Chelsea tonight the transfer rumours in the press are inevitably suggesting that Chelsea will come in with a big bid for Declan Rice in the January transfer window. The Athletic has even cited Neto's winner for Wolves against Chelsea as the sort of goal Rice would have stopped. Another source has suggested a Man United bid.

It strikes me that Declan is a sensible lad with a feel for the club and if he looks rationally at his career we all hope he decides to stick with the Hammers. At 21 he is the main man at West Ham, playing in a team that is improving. If Chelsea signed him for a fee of £70million plus it would place immense pressure on both Rice and Frank Lampard. 

If Chelsea's massive splurge on players doesn't yield a trophy or Champions League qualification then it's likely that Abramovic would revert to his traditional ruthless self and sack Big Fat Frank. This could leave Rice with a new manager who doesn't rate him as highly as Lampard. Declan would also have to adjust to not playing every week. He'd be up against the best holding midfielder in the world in Ngolo Kante plus a host of other central midfielders at the club. Whereas if he stays at West Ham as captain he's going to be a really hot property by the time he's 23 or 24.

Nor is Rice the type of player who would strike in order to force a move. Hopefully the club will demand a ridiculous fee if any bids come in and Declan will continue to develop with WHU. Or to put it another way, stick your blue flag up your...

Haller of a goal saves Hammers

West Ham 1 Crystal Palace 1

It's Amazon Prime for this one, in what seems to be a game too far for the Irons. Palace are much the better team in the first half and bar a Fornals header wide from a Coufal cross and a late Bowen shot saved by Guaita the Hammers create little. Benrahma clearly has skill but too often runs into trouble or picks the wrong pass, while the whole side seems lacking in energy. Despite some promising crosses from Coufal, Haller isn't getting on the end of them.

Old boy Cheikhou Kouyate is having a good game as a centre back for Palace, while Eze, a Hammers target in the summer, plays with a sense of enjoyment and fires a dangerous cross across the box. After an early Benteke header wide, the Belgian striker beats the rusty Diop to head home a cross and put Palace ahead. At least Cresswell hasn't done his hamstring as most of us feared when he went down.

Benteke almost scores again after an intricate Palace move ends with a backheel straight to Fabianski. Matt says on WhatsApp that, "It's a good game for the government to ban me from." 

HALLER OF FAME

Moyes acts at half time by replacing the misfiring Fornals with Lanzini. The Hammers equaliser arrives when the excellent Coufal makes a storming run from his own half. He finds Soucek, who passes on to Lanzini who plays in the overlapping right-back. Coufal's cross arrives behind Haller but the striker performs a stunning overhead kick to score the best bicycle kick since Andy Carroll's effort, also against Palace. 

Haller is a strange player, capable of a brilliant goal yet at other times unable to hold the ball up. He looks angry when he scores but is too laid back the rest of the time, as he has the physique to terrify defences. As Moyes said, we need him to get both overhead stunners and tap-ins.

One plus for the Hammers is that Diop has a more secure game in the second half. When Benteke is rather harshly dismissed on 70 minutes for a second yellow (Andy Carroll would never have completed a game with this ref) the odds look to be in West Ham's favour. Moyes throws on Yarmolenko, but apart from a Bowen shot over the bar the Hammers create little as Palace show Roy Hodgson's trademark organisation at the back. 

Still, we'd have taken a point at half-time and this keeps the total ticking over. Not a good performance, but again the Irons have shown resilience, and it's now two games in a row that we've come from behind.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 8, Ogbonna 6, Diop 5, Cresswell 5; Benrahma 5 (Snodgrass n/a), Soucek 6, Rice 6, Fornals 5 (Lanzini 6); Bowen 7 (Yarmolenko 5), Haller 7. 

Harsh on Super Slav

Sad to hear that West Brom have sacked Slaven Bilic. He did really well to get the Baggies promoted and was in many ways the victim of his own success. They were always likely to struggle this season, as there are no weak teams in the Premier League, but being just two points from safety having drawn at Man City last night under Bilic suggests Albion could well survive. They have also sacked first-team coach Julian Dicks. And I wonder how Grady Diangana will fare under a different manager? 

Rumour suggests Big Sam might get the job, which would be ironic as Slaven replaced Allardyce at West Ham. WBA seem to have a bit of a fixation with former West Ham gaffers, having also appointed Alan Pardew for a short spell that ended in relegation. When they appoint Avram Grant we'll know they are really in trouble.

The tracks of my tiers

Sympathy goes out to my pal Matt, who had actually won the season ticket holders' ballot and was eagerly looking forward to being at the London Stadium on Wednesday night for the Crystal Palace stadium. That was until the government moved London into Tier 3. "Somehow sums up being a West Ham fan — against the odds you win a ballot for a game and then it's snatched away from you. Knowing my luck they won't let me in the next ballot whenever that is on the grounds that I won one," comments a crestfallen Matt, robbed of his goal by the government equivalent of VAR. 

Oh what fun it is to see West Ham win away!

Leeds United 1 West Ham United 2

The evening begins with the news that Arthur Masuaku has had a career-saving operation. This seems to have come out of nowhere and was not even mentioned by Moyes in his press conference. So it's back to a flat back-four with Benrahma coming in, which is a brave attacking choice from the gaffer.

WHU get off to a disastrous start as Haller miscontrols, Cooper plays a swift through ball and Bamford races past a surprised defence only to be brought down by Fabianski. Klich muffs the first penalty but sodding VAR rules that Fabianski has moved a couple of inches off his line and it's retaken. With a double Klich the penalty is converted.

The Hammers respond well, with Rice winning lots of loose balls and Benrahma looking speedy on the break, though the other players don't seem to be reading his passes. Looks like he'll be entertaining in a Di Canio-esque way though.

Haller is doing a good impression of a pinball machine as he repeatedly fails to hold on to the ball, but does get a couple of chances, heading into the ground and then shooting at a defender when well-placed. The Hammers' deservedly equalise when Soucek towers above the Leeds defence to head home past a flailing goalkeeper. 

The second half is almost all West Ham. It must be cold up north as Leeds have brought on Shackleton, a player of great endeavour. Benrahma shows he can be too greedy at times, wasting a free kick and taking too long to shoot, though he then sends a good effort just wide. Fornals misses a great chance to make it two by poking wide of the post, Haller has a header tipped over and Balbuena's header produces a great save from Meslier. 

With ten minutes left the Irons finally get the second goal as Ogbonna sends a bullet header into the corner from Cresswell's magic free kick. A great goal from Oggy. we know it isn't going to be Haller's night when he suddenly produces a brilliant overhead kick only to foiled by another fine save from Meslier. Then there's even the bizarre sight of Ogbonna crossing for Balbuena to head against the post.

The Hammers almost pay for their profligacy when Rodrigo gets a free header in the box in added time, but hold on to secure a win on a ground where we never get anything. Man of the match is Robert Snodgrass who is brilliant for the final 30 seconds.

We go fifth. Blimey. This is West Ham's best start since the final season at the Boleyn and we now have to build on it. Irons!

In the Football Library

My thoughts on football and West Ham literature can be found in The Football Library, where I chat to Jonny Brick on Soundcloud. Click here to hear the discussion about my own West Ham books such as Flying So High and Goodbye To Boleyn, and much more on the Hammers, various Cup Finals, Ron Greenwood, John Lyall, Frank Lampard Senior, Alan Taylor, Alan Sealey, Nark Noble, 1970s punk, Brian Williams' Nearly Reach the Sky, Clyde Best's The Acid Test, Matt Dickinson's Bobby Moore: The Man in Full and much more. 

Wasteful Hammers undone by 13 minutes of United class

West Ham 1 Man United 3

It's good to see 2000 fans singing along to Bubbles at the start and even that socially-distanced number of fans generate a little atmosphere. I'm watching this on Sky having missed out on the ballot. It's a great start by the Irons, pressing United back from the kick-off. Bowen has the ball in the net early on but it's correctly ruled out for offside. But already the Hammers are looking much better than against Villa.

Bowen is having a storming game and goes around Telles to cross for Fornals. The midfielder heads into the side-netting when he should have maybe scored. Fornals then pokes a shot against the post after a Bowen cross has been laid-off by Haller.

SUPER TOMAS SOUCEK

The Hammers take the lead from a corner. With the United defence watching Rice heads across goal and Soucek pokes it home at the far post. Finally there's authentic cheering at the London Stadium. It should be two when Fornals plays through Haller. Sebastian rounds the goalkeeper, beats a defender and then, with the goal gaping, slips over as if shot by the same sniper who got Jack Grealish. 

Wan-Bissaka has to make a saving tackle to deny Bowen. Martial then has United's first shot on target after 44 minutes. At the interval you wonder of West Ham will rue missing so many chances as United bring on Fernandes and Rashford for the second half.

The Hammers again start well as Haller finds Coufal wide on the right and Bowen just fails to convert the full back's low cross. It's then that United produce a devastating 13 minutes. 

KICKED INTO TOUCH

Henderson kicks the ball down the line and David Moyes instantly appeals that the ball has curled over the touchline. The ref and lino ignore him, Fernandes crosses and Pogba fires a rocket into the corner. Looking at the replays on Match of the Day it's amazing VAR didn't disallow it, as the ball must surely have gone out before it bent back into play. "Ye cannae change the laws of geometry!" as Scotty might have said. 

West Ham then drop their concentration levels. Fernandes is creating lots of chances and a couple of minutes later Greenwood turns Van Basten-like to brilliantly convert an average cross from Telles. Rashford springs West Ham's offside strike to hit the post. His speed is causing Coufal and the defence big problems and the scourge of Boris Johnson then races on to Fernandes through ball to convert the third. If only he'd not had so many free school lunches he might not be so fast...

At least the Irons give it a go at the end. Benrahma comes on as sub and chips just over the bar while a late Cresswell free kick is well-saved by Henderson. Our 2000 fans get used to saying once again that it's not the despair they can't take. We used up our luck against Villa and it's no disgrace to lose to a side with some world-class finishers. But even so, if West Ham had taken their chances in the first half and VAR had done its job we'd have got something from this.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 6 (Johnson n/a), Balbuena 6, Ogbonna 6, Cresswell 6, Masuaku 6; Rice 7, Soucek 7, Fornals 6 (Benrahma 6); Bowen 8 (Lanzini 5), Haller 5.

A mistake to play Antonio against Villa

So Antonio is out of today's match after picking up another hamstring injury against Aston Villa. David Moyes says it's a different part of his hamstring to the old injury, but even so it now looks like big mistake to have rushed Antonio back. Particularly as Haller had scored in the previous match at Sheffield United and was looking more confident. Any fan who has watched West Ham for the last few years knows that Antonio needs to be eased back into action gently — but it seems our medical team don't.

So it's back to Seb up front tonight. He'll probably be looking even angrier now and if he scores might even do a Ketsbaia (the Newcastle player was infamous for his legendary kicking of hoardings after scoring, younger fans check it out on YouTube). Still, at least we'll have 2000 fans inside the London Stadium. Will someone plant a corner flag in the centre circle just for old time's sake? It will be good to have even that number singing along to Bubbles come kick-off time.

Hammers ride luck to move fifth

This might not happen again...

West Ham 2 Aston Villa 1

The Irons might have been unlucky against Arsenal and Liverpool, but certainly made up for it with this game. Though as it's the tenth anniversary of Jonathan Spector's finest game for West Ham, the 4-0 demolition of Man United in the League Cup, perhaps it was all a divine tribute to Specs. 

It's the perfect start for the Hammers when Villa's blockers get in a muddle and Ogbonna rises well to head in Bowen's corner. Matt takes to WhatsApp to reveal that West Ham's last nine goals have been scored by nine different players.

But for the rest of the half Villa take control and when Grealish is given too much space in midfield he blasts home a long-range effort via Ogbonna's boot.

Antonio never looks match fit after his hamstring lay-off and Moyes, who normally subs late, makes the unusual move of taking two players off at the interval. Antonio is swapped for Haller and Benrahma replaces Masuaku as the Hammers revert to a back-four.

The changes work instantly as Bowen finnds Benrahma on the left. He cuts inside to chip a delicate ball into the box which Bowen heads home. Blimey. That's Benrahma's second assist from the bench, which is really saying something.

ANOTHER FINE MISS, OLLIE

The second half goes the way of the first with Villa coming back strongly after an early West Ham goal, though it's always pleasing to see John Terry get booked. Grealish gets Fornals booked with a terribly late dive, but the playmaker is dominating the game, driving Villa forward. 

Trezeguet miskicks after being set up by Watkins but still inspires a smart save from Fabianski. The inevitable equaliser seems to have come after 71 minutes when Rice has a slight tug at Traore's shirt causing the player to theatrically collapse. Watkins hammers the penalty against the bar. The Gods are smiling on us. 

West Ham aren't playing well but what is impressive is the collective resilience. Ogbonna and Balbuena have massive games at the back and even Benrahma is tracking back in his role as left wing-back. It's a sensible decision to bring on the experienced Mark Noble to try and calm it down.

But in added time it looks like Villa have finally equalised when Watkins sweeps home a cross from the left. After a two and a half minute VAR check it's disallowed for an arm being offside. We'll take that bit of luck, but surely what VAR needs to do is give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker when it's such a close decision. The ref has also missed Ogbonna's arms around Watkins as he makes his run.

The whistle goes and its good to see the celebrations of the West Ham players who have worked tremendously hard to get a result. It's hard on Villa though. We've won three in a row but it's worth remembering that if Lookman had scored his penalty, McBurnie hadn't hit the bar and Watkins had converted his penalty we might have only had two or three points instead of nine. Still, winning while playing badly isn't a bad habit and we go up to fifth. What's going to happen when we do play well? Irons! 

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 7; Coufal 7, Ogbonna 8, Balbuena 7, Cresswell 6, Masuaku 5 (Benrahma 7); Rice 6, Soucek 5, Fornals 5; Bowen 7 (Noble 6); Antonio 5 (Haller 6).