Strikers, who needs ’em?
Well, for the most part, not Graham Potter as the new West Ham boss went into his first Premier League game without a recognised front man on the pitch but came away with all three points.
Two goals in two first-half minutes from midfielders Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek before a third from Lucas Paqueta after an hour handed Potter his first victory in charge of the Hammers.
Potter needed a striker in the end, as his only fit one in Danny Ings came off the bench to set up West Ham’s third, but more than anything he required hatfuls of luck as it was only a staggering miss from Adama Traore in stoppage time that ensured this frantic win after Alex Iwobi had twice scored from crosses.
Fulham attempted 21 shots, West Ham four. The Hammers were gifted two of their goals, too, after Andreas Pereira played the ball across his own goal straight to Soler for the opener before Ings closed down Fulham keeper Leno to set up Paqueta.
‘They were gifts but from our pressure,’ said Potter. ‘We forced the errors. We rode our luck at times but where we are with the players we have missing, I’m delighted with the win.
Graham Potter earned a hard-fought win in his first Premier League game in charge of West Ham
Carlos Soler pounced on a defensive howler to give West Ham the lead against Fulham
Tomas Soucek doubled West Ham’s lead just two minutes later after good work from Aaron Wan-Bissaka
‘We had to be creative with the attacking options we had. The performance was one of high effort, high togetherness and understanding we must suffer at times.
‘It was far from perfect long-term, but it’s a foundation. Lots to do, but a great start.’
Injuries to Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen have left West Ham desperate to sign a striker in January but, for now, Potter chose to start Paqueta up front and left Ings on the bench.
Fulham dominated the early stages and should have taken the lead. Harry Wilson volleyed against the bar after six minutes and Raul Jimenez also hit the woodwork at the end of the first half.
Twenty-five minutes in and West Ham still hadn’t touched the ball in Fulham’s box. Their first was when Max Kilman glanced Soler’s free-kick into the net only for it to be ruled out for offside.
The disallowed goal might not have given West Ham the lead but it sparked them into life and, at last, they began to play.
At his unveiling, Potter described having the chance to manage West Ham as like ‘Christmas for the adults’ so how kind it was of Pereira to gift-wrap the first Premier League goal of his reign.
Two minutes later West Ham had another. Mohammed Kudus held the ball up, found Soler whose cross picked out Aaron Wan-Bissaka at the back post to cut it back for Soucek to score.
Alex Iwobi scored twice to ensure Fulham remained in the game until the final minute
Both Iwobi’s goals were crosses that went all the way in after being missed by his team-mates
There was nothing lucky about that goal. Potter will want to see much more of this over the next few games.
Potter had never failed to win any Premier League game in which his side led by two goals at the break but, crucially, he’s never managed West Ham before.
His side could not hold on to their lead against Aston Villa in the FA Cup and, just six minutes into the second half, the excellent Iwobi curled in a cross that beat everyone and snuck in at the far post.
Fulham kept pushing and it forced Potter to turn to his sole fit striker just after the hour. Right on cue, Ings played his part. He closed down Leno and poked the ball straight to Paqueta, who earned his just desserts for a decent shift in an unfamiliar position.
Lucas Paqueta sealed the points after a horror moment for Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno
Marco Silva was left to rue his side’s defensive mistakes on a frustrating night for the visitors
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But, of course, that was not to be the end. Iwobi scored from yet another cross and it was only a fine late save from Lukasz Fabianksi to deny Jimenez and a remarkable miss from Traore that ensured West Ham came away with the win.
‘We were penalised by our own mistakes,’ said Fulham boss Marco Silva.
‘We were so dominant until we conceded the first goal. We hit the crossbar and West Ham were not near our box at all. It’s clear the result did not reflect the teams on the pitch. The best team did not win the game.’
Potter said this week that panic buying a striker in January would not solve all of West Ham’s problems. He’s right about that. It’s not just injury woes he’s got to fix, there’s plenty of defensive ones too.
