Nayef Aguerd scored the only goal of the game to help West Ham produce one of the narrow football results of the weekend in the Premier League. In a game plagued with individual errors, and poor clear-cut chances but loaded with significance, David Moyes’ team prevailed to put more pressure on the Saints, who remain only three points shy of safety. After a lengthy VAR review concluded Aguerd was onside when he headed in a free kick from Thilo Kehrer, the hosts took a lead they would not surrender in the 26th minute. After a close offside call, referee Paul Tierney was instructed by Peter Bankes that the goal should stand after a three-minute and 48-second VAR wait, the longest of the season.
Jarrod Bowen hit the crossbar with a spectacular shot before halftime, but one goal was enough to beat a sloppy Saints team that came closest to equalizing when substitute Paul Onuachu headed against the crossbar in the closing five minutes. West Ham moved up to 14th in the league, but only one point ahead of Everton in 18th, as they extended their undefeated home run in 2023 to six games.
Moyes spent the international break in the relegation zone, and the Scot will be hoping that this success serves as a springboard ahead of a frantic month of nine Premier League and European meetings. It is the highest position the Hammers have held this season since November 5. West Ham’s domestic form has been in stark contrast to their run in Europe, where they have reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League after winning 10 consecutive games. But, despite the club’s troubles, Moyes witnessed a morale-boosting victory that lifted his side up five places in the table.
West Ham struck from a set piece, the Saints’ Achilles’ heel all season, after a typically nervous first 26 minutes in which neither team actually showed any degree of authority. Kehrer’s deep right-wing ball was met by the jumping Aguerd, whose header was precise and back across the goal. The VAR lines were drawn, and they favored the hosts in the end. Just Bournemouth has surrendered more goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season than Southampton (17). Indeed, the Saints will top the league in headed goals surrendered in 2022/23. (12).
On his return to goal for West Ham following a five-game absence, Romain Perraud stung the gloves of Lukasz Fabianski, but the hosts could have extended their lead before the break when Bowen’s curling effort bounced back off the crossbar. The Saints arrived at the London Stadium bottom of the table but only two points away from safety, and they started the second half well, with Romeo Lavia and replacement Carlos Alcaraz troubling Fabianski.
Moyes stated that his players were ready to battle for their Premier League lives, but they displayed composure as well as the battling skills required to control their opponents. Southampton had taken eight points from their previous six league matches under Ruben Selles, but despite his best efforts to find solutions, Onuachu’s header against the crossbar was as near as they would get. With nine clubs all vying for top-flight survival, the struggle for survival appears to be one of the tightest in recent memory. These crucial three points for Moyes and West Ham might be decisive come to the end of the season.
“We’ve beaten Everton and Nottingham Forest, and drawn with Chelsea and Aston Villa before today, so our home record is strong. We’ve been in good shape since the World Cup, even in Europe,” West Ham boss David Moyes said. “We’ve noticed that we’re catching up. Because of the high level of competition in the Premier League, there have been some surprises and upsets recently. I hope none of you are betting since, considering the results, you’re probably not winning many of them! Many of the teams in this league have little in common.”
“It is always frustrating to concede a goal, especially from set plays, and to lose because of it. Sometimes VAR judgments are in your favor, and sometimes they aren’t. It was extremely constrained,” Southampton boss Ruben Selles said. “It should not have an impact on our outlook. In these instances, we must be stronger. It wasn’t the four-minute wait for the goal to be awarded that affected our emotional state, but the goal itself. A set piece is a part of the game that we have struggled with this season and must improve in the future games.”
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