Premier League
West Ham United 1-0 Swansea City 

Saturday, 30th September 2017
by Staff Writer

It's less than four weeks since Diafra Sakho flew himself to France in order to push through a transfer deadline day move to Rennes.

Yet move forward a month and he might just be the man who has saved Slaven Bilic's job - for now, at least.

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Bilic's West Ham were typically dreadful on another drab afternoon at the Olympic Stadium, where quality and creativity were in short supply from both sides, and were booed several times as a result.

However the only real touch of class on show during the entire game was enough to earn West Ham all three points and lift them clear of the relegation zone for the first time this season.

It had been an awfully insipid first 89 minutes prior to West Ham scoring the only goal of the game. Real goal scoring opportunities had been few and far between as neither side possessed the necessary acumen to break their opponent down.

But cometh the hour, cometh the King.

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Arthur Masuaku, whose arrival was greeted by a chorus of boos (mostly for the removal of Javier Hernandez who'd done little to suggest he should have stayed on) broke on the left before drilling the ball across the face of the six-yard box, from where fellow sub Sakho fired home to earn United an unlikely win.

And it was a goal that might just have kept Slaven Bilic in gainful employment for another week, at least. The win lifts West Ham up to 15th in the table, two points clear of the relegation zone.

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Player Ratings

Joe Hart
Barely had a save to make all day! However he did show good distribution which has been a factor that has been flimsy in his game the past few years.


Pablo Zabaleta
Getting forward quite often and tracking back well.


Aaron Cresswell
Becoming too predictable. Always looking to cross it with his left foot and when he did manage to do so, he often got it wrong.


Winston Reid
Always there when needed. Did make a few mistakes on a couple of occasions.


James Collins
Was playing with an injury for the majority of his spell on the pitch, but got the basics right.


Jose Fonte
Was solid in defence and enjoyed a lot of time on the ball making some good long passes.


Pedro Obiang
Came up wirh the only chance that made the game worth watching. Always knows what to do with the ball before receiving, often ending up in quick one-touch football that speeds the game up. A consistent performance from the Spaniard, but still letting sloppy mistakes creep into his game.


Cheikhou Kouyate
Quite a clumsy player but provides the strength and grit in midfield.


Michail Antonio
At times seemed like the only player interested in going forward and threatening the opposition. Always making the most of his raw strength and speed.


Javier Hernandez
When playing out of position it's ubderstandable to see that his performances have been below par in the last few games. Has quality on the ball and an eye for goal which should incite the manager to play him down the middle as opposed to on the wing.


Andy Carroll
Always winning flick ons but never has team mates running onto them. Was just a nuisance for defenders up front.



Substitutes

Marko Arnautovic
Created next to nothing and had no impact on the game. Must show his potential and the reason why the Club spent so much money on him.


Andre Ayew
Didn't get on the ball much when he was introduced but tried his best to make something happen.


Diafra Sakho
No comments.


Adrian San Miguel Del Castillo
Did not play.


Arthur Masuaku
Did not play.


Angelo Ogbonna
Did not play.


Declan Rice
Injured during warm-up.



Match Facts

West Ham United: Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Aaron Cresswell, Winston Reid, James Collins, Jose Fonte, Pedro Obiang, Cheikhou Kouyate, Michail Antonio, Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll.

Goals: Diafra Sakho 90                  .

Booked: None.

Sent off: None.

Swansea City: Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson (Clucas 87), Sanches, Carroll, Britton (Mesa 69), Ayew, Abraham, Bony (Fer 46).

Subs not used: Nordfeldt, van der Hoorn, Narsingh, Rangel.

Goals: n/a.

Booked: Sanches.

Sent off: None.

Referee: Roger East.

Attendance: 56,922.

Man of the Match: Pablo Zabaleta.