More Momentum Gained After Emphatic Wrexham Win

West Ham United have regained top spot in the Sky Bet Championship after West Bromwich Albion won 1-0 at Derby County on Wednesday night. However, the Hammers stretched their unbeaten run to four games after an emphatic 6-0 home victory over Wrexham on Friday night.

Nuno Espírito Santo made five changes to the team that started against newly- promoted Bolton Wanderers at The Toughsheet Community Stadium three days earlier, as Joël Veltman, Joël Piroe, Manor Solomon and Valentín Castellanos were all restored to the starting line-up, while there was also a home debut for Nottingham Forest loanee Morato.

Kyle Walker-Peters, Oliver Scarles, Mohamadou Kanté, Edvin Austbø and Pablo Felipe all dropped to the bench, while youngsters Finlay Herrick, Airidas Golambeckis, Lewis Orford and Joshua Ajala were all included in the matchday squad. The visitors included former Irons’ youngster George Dobson in their starting line-up.

Tuesday’s long trip back from Lancashire obviously didn’t affect the home side too much, as they got a grip of the game early on and never looked back.

The first chance fell to Castellanos, who was on the end of Solomon’s cross but unfortunately, the Argentine headed over. Captain Jarrod Bowen then tried his luck, only for visiting goalkeeper Anthony Patterson to help the ball onto the crossbar.

Opportunities were still there for the taking, as both Konstantinos Mavropanos and Piroe got in on the act but, neither player hit the target.

West Ham had scored ten goals in just six matches so far and their eleventh came on twenty eight minutes as Bowen continued from where he had left off against the Trotters last time out by beating Patterson, following a great team move involving Mads Hermansen, Divine Mukasa, Solomon and Morato.

Espírito Santo was forced into his first change on the half-hour mark, as Veltman sustained an injury, meaning that Walker-Peters entered the fray.

After falling behind, Phil Parkinson’s side tried to respond quickly but the home defence was in the way of shots from both Danny Imray and Ben Whiteman, before a mistake presented the Red Dragons with their best chance of the half. Mavropanos was dispossessed and the ball found its way to Sam Smith in the box. He then played in Dobson but, the Greek defender then made amends for his error when he got back to clear off the line.

The home side then quickly turned defence into attack and moved further ahead just two minutes later. Piroe was on the end of another great team move to lash the ball past Patterson again.

There has generally been a much better atmosphere amongst the home crowd when the half-time whistle has been blown this season and there were more applause here, as the majority inside the stadium had really appreciated the first-half performance.

The goalscoring continued just three minutes into the second-half. Mavropanos notched up his second goal of the week and his third in a matter of just ten days when he headed Bowen’s corner past Patterson after the former Sunderland stopper had initially saved a shot from Solomon.

After getting a double against Steven Schumacher’s men earlier this week, the home skipper was in the mood to try and repeat the feat but unfortunately, he sent his latest effort wide.

Just after the hour mark, there was more joy for the large home crowd when the hosts extended their advantage. Walker-Peters regained possession after the Red Dragons had wasted a corner. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton defender took the ball upfield and found Piroe, who in turn released Castellanos. The Argentine had passed a fitness test ahead of this game and the home fans would have been glad he did, as he sent a measured finish past a helpless Patterson.

Four minutes after that goal had gone in, a total of five substitutions were made by both Head Coaches. Parkinson made four with Imray, Joe Worrall, Dobson and Smith all being replaced by Issa Kaboré, Dominic Hyam, Matthew James and Kieffer Moore, while the home side made a double change, as Scarles and Kanté came on for both Piroe and Morato.

Kanté had claimed his first goal for the club in their last home encounter against Derby County and just eight minutes after being introduced, he gave the home fans even more to cheer about, as he latched onto Solomon’s pass and lifted the ball over Patterson and into the back of the net.

The Portuguese Head-Coach made another double change with nine minutes of normal time to play. Orford and Ajala took the places of Arne Engels and Bowen.

Shortly after Espírito Santo had made his latest alterations, West Ham put the gloss on what was already a great night for all involved. Solomon claimed his first Stratford goal when Patterson was beaten by the Israeli international’s bending right-footed shot which hit the post before it crossed the line.

After four minutes of stoppage time had been played, referee Sam Barrott blew the final whistle to confirm West Ham’s biggest league win at their new home. Not only that, it was also their biggest league triumph since Brighton and Hove Albion fell victim to this scoreline when they were defeated by Sam Allardyce’s Hammers side fourteen years ago.

Espírito Santo will surely rest his major players ahead of the meeting with bitter rivals Millwall in eight days’ time. With that in mind, given that a team predominantly consisting of Development Squad players booked the club’s place in the third-round of the Carabao Cup by beating fellow Championship side Southampton last month, then he may give them another chance to shine against Premier League side Fulham here on Tuesday night.