West Ham United secured a crucial victory over Southampton yesterday to edge further away from the Premier League relegation zone, and it will hopefully inject some spark into David Moyes’ side.
This was the club’s first league win since the end of February, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Irons struggled to retain possession during the tie, but they managed more shots than the Saints with Nayef Aguerd ultimately scoring a header during the first half which proved to be more than enough to secure all three points.
Moyes will have been happy to see players such as Lucas Paqueta and Said Benerahma getting back into some sort of form, with the duo receiving ratings of 7/10 and 7.3/10 via Sofascore for their displays, although there were still a couple of bad performances.
Tomas Soucek endured a disappointing match, taking just 33 touches and completing only 11 of his 21 attempted passes. Indeed, he was somewhat of a passenger in the West Ham midfield that sought to establish a foothold in the match.
As Football.London's Jonty Colman noted, he was 'sloppy at times' in possession, a notion backed up by the fact that the Czech lost possession on 15 occasions throughout the clash. Also poor from a physical standpoint, he won just six of his 19 defensive duels.
That said, Moyes may well be disappointed at another one of his players for their abject display – Danny Ings.
How did Danny Ings perform against Southampton?
Ings’ 65 minutes on the pitch were extremely underwhelming, and it’s no wonder he was brought off for Michail Antonio.
The striker made just seven passes at a success rate of 47%, 15 fewer than goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, as he failed to link up well with his teammates.
What was even more damning is that the ex-England international took no shots at all during the match.
West Ham correspondent for the Athletic, Roshane Thomas believes Ings doesn’t quite fit into Moyes’ tactical plan, saying: “I don't think this system works for Danny Ings. He's often too isolated up front. Hasn't quite clicked barring his two goals against Nottingham Forest. Antonio has great work rate so he has no issues playing as a lone striker. But Ings has struggled in that role.”
Taking just 25 touches in a game – 18 fewer than Fabianski – is often a sign that a player is isolated and Ings didn’t quite receive the service he required to make a meaningful difference.
Moyes signed the Englishman to score goals and a tie against his former employers in Southampton should have been the perfect opportunity for him to add another couple to his tally for the club.
If it wasn’t for Ageurd’s winner, the Hammers may well have dropped more vital points and with Ings responsible for scoring the goals to maintain the club’s league status, he has only heaped further pressure on Moyes.
