WHUFC vs Southampton -- February 29th, 2020

Here's the BBC sport of the goal...

"GOAL - West Ham 1-1 Southampton
Michael Obafemi
As a say that, Southampton equalise.

This has come from literally nowhere.

James Ward-Prowse, who has been in the thick of the action so far, is released down the right-hand side of the area. His cutback finds Michael Obafemi, he doesn't connect cleanly but his effort loops in the right-hand corner to pull the Saints level.

Big goal at the bottom of the Premier League."

Cress well corner... Diop comes flying in... heads the ball but somehow puts it totally wide from 6 yards out, it hits a Southampton player on the head and goes out of play...
so the result is a goal kick...

Like I said last week... why is VAR not stepping in on these decisions?

bubbles are spraying in the air... Haller heads wide to Antonio who plays a high ball across the goal... Haller and keeper jump for it... keeper lets it go through his hands onto Haller's head.

Haller is then first to react and get down to poke the ball into the corner of the net...


40 minutes gone... we're back in front.


by the by... Danny Ings usually scores against us for Soton... so today it was the player who replaced him in the line-up...

see how the BeeB reports the game:

"33 mins
Post update
West Ham 1-1 Southampton
It is eerily quiet inside the London Stadium.

West Ham are doing alright so far but their fans are nervous, you can feel it."


"CLOSE!
West Ham 1-1 Southampton
How are West Ham not winning!?!

An excellent corner from the right seems certain to be headed in by Issa Diop but he almost seems to duck under it and it hits James Ward-Prowse and goes behind.

Anthony Taylor gives a goal kick to the frustration of many West Ham players.

Diop really should have regained West Ham's advantage there."


"GOAL - West Ham 2-1 Southampton
Sebastien Haller
How has this gone in!?!"

2 corners in a row for Soton... we actually have 9 men behind the ball and actually defend... and then go on the attack....

Here's how the Guardian is keeping up:

"Could it be one of those days for West Ham? They’ve messed up a three-on-one break, conceded minutes after missing a great chance, and now another goal goes betting. From a corner, Issa Diop fails to connect a couple of yards out, and the score remains 1-1."

"GOAL! West Ham United 2-1 Southampton (Haller 40)

But not for long! Sebastian Haller bullies Alex McCarthy as the pair compete for a high ball, then slides home. VAR has a check, harshing West Ham’s buzz, but eventually they’re allowed to celebrate properly. The goal stands, and the Hammers deservedly lead on the balance of play."


so everyone seems to feel we deserve it...

as things stand, with 3 mins of added time to end the first half...

we're currently 16th in the table... 2 out of the relegation zone...

West Ham are certainly putting in a shift. Soton are getting frustrated - but this is WEst Ham... so it's not like it's plain sailing or easy viewing...

half time whistle goes... ooh... it's just how we imagined it.

jeez... our passing accuracy is 52%

has it been that low all season?

that's something of a change of pace... the first half highlights are actually a succession of us scoring and almost scoring... can't remember seeing that all season long.

I just hope they don't fupp it up in the 2nd half.

wow... Haller's pass accuracy is 26%

Bowen's is 72%


players are coming out for the second half...

there's someone pointing the way as they come out of the tunnel... is it really that far to the pitch?

2nd Half, West Ham kick iff playing right to left.

Holy macaroni... Soton almost score... somehow their player fails to connect on the goal line with no one in front of him...

that was an escape that won't happen too many times...

now maybe the wags on twitter will understand why the hammers fans were so quiet even after going 2-1 up...

it's all Soton so far...

AND they have Danny Ings to come on when they need it...

Bowen hits his ankle trying to retrieve a ball - hopefully he can walk it off...

52 minutes gone... it's been all Soton thus far.

fornals goes down the wing, cuts inside and then tries to cheekily hit the near post... he probably should have gone for the WHUFC players in the box but it shows he wants to score so I can't be too mad.

And on comes Danny Ings...

And to celebrate Ings arrival...

Antonio is put throuh by a great little dinking ball from Fornals...

Antonio is one on one with the keeper, shrugs off the defender and plants the ball in the back of the net.


Haller headed the ball on for Fornals... so it's funny how when you play more than a lone striker, how the players not only come together but actually also score...

55 minutes gone

3-1 to West Ham

"GOAL! West Ham United 3-1 Southampton (Antonio 54)

Saints have brought on Danny Ings. And he’s got a job to do, because Michail Antonio has just stretched West Ham’s lead in a must-win game for the hosts."

we needed that because Bournemouth has equalized against Chelsea...

from the BBC:

"GOAL - West Ham 3-1 Southampton
Michail Antonio
Route one but it works!

A long free-kick by Lukasz Fabianski is flicked on by Sebastien Haller. Pablo Fornals collects and chips it over the top for Michail Antonio.

He runs onto it and just opens his body and curls into the back of the net."


jesus christ... if people are going to complain about that being route 1 football then we might as well all go home now.

Craig on twitter gets it:

"Funny that play attacking players in the right formation and you get a goal by 3 of them! Bowen, Haller, Antonio #westham #coyi #WHUSOU #bowen #haller #antonio"

we nearly did it again...

win the ball form a Soton attack... Haller plays a great ball to antonio who muscles through the defense... but this time in the one on one, the keeper just gets a body part to it and deflects it wide...

at least this time the Ref gives us the corner...

don't come at me like that BBC....

"It can't happen again to West Ham - can it?
West Ham 3-1 Southampton

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at the London Stadium
The sun has come out at the London Stadium as if to celebrate West Ham's third goal.

They were 3-1 up in their last home game against Brighton - and ended up drawing.

It is not going to happen again is it."

oh jeez... this isn';t what we want...

"GOAL! Bournemouth 2-1 Chelsea (King 57)

That cup of half-time tea must have been a tasty drop. Two goals in three minutes, the second from Josh King, has turned things around for the Cherries at Dean Court. Bournemouth, like West Ham, are fighting hard for three precious points."

and look here... another ex-Hammer doing his thing...

"Freddie Sears has equalised for momentum-free Ipswich Town at Blackpool. Meanwhile QPR, who were trailing 1-0 at half time at home to Birmingham City, have staged a fine comeback, Marc Pugh and Jordan Hugill scoring the goals in a four-minute burst to snatch the lead. And down near the bottom of the Championship, out-of-form Reading are 2-0 up on Barnsley, George Puscas adding to Yakou Meite’s first-half strike."