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.