West Ham talking points: Maybe Mark Noble is right about Hammers’ top four chances

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Giuseppe Muro22 September 2019

Mark Noble said in his Standard Sport column this week that he thinks a place in the top four is up for grabs this season . That will have raised a few eyebrows but Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been inconsistent this season and this win for a real statement from West Ham.

The Hammers have now won three in a row under Manuel Pellegrini and if they can keep their best players fit then there is no real why they cannot finish in the European places. There is still a long way to go but this win moves West Ham up to fourth. Continue getting results like this and they might just be able to stay there.

There is no getting away from the fact that Manchester United were poor but this was one of West Ham’s best days at the London Stadium since moving from Upton Park. There have been some difficult times here in recent years but there is a real positive feel at West Ham at the moment and Manuel Pellegrini has transformed the mood around the whole club.

Co-chairman David Sullivan and David Gold have taken some stick over the years but they also both deserve credit for the way they have things turned around. West Ham fans have reconnected with the team again.

It is now three clean sheets in a row for West Ham in the Premier League. The attacking football they play under Manuel Pellegrini meant they conceded too many goals last season but they seem to have found a formula to sure things up at the back this season.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

Lukasz Fabianski has been one of the standout goalkeepers so far the new centre-back partnership of Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop were outstanding again against Manchester United. Aaron Cresswell did well defensively at left-back too, before his outstanding free-kick settled it.

There was a lot of talk in the summer about Declan Rice being a target for Manchester United so it felt like a big day for the West Ham midfielder as he looks to show he is up there with the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Rice went about his business quietly but he and Mark Noble got the better of United’s midfield two of Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay.

His two starts for England during the recent international break showed Gareth Southgate sees Rice as a starter at the Euros next summer and performances like this will only grow his reputation.

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