EPL result: Obiang and Ayew goals secure first West Ham win, and Huddersfield’s first loss

West Ham United 2 – 0 Huddersfield Town

West Ham eased the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic with their first Premier League win of the season as they beat Huddersfield 2-0.

The Hammers, whose manager Slaven Bilic was under pressure after three successive league defeats, were below par – although the visitors offered little threat.

Javier Hernandez hit the bar in the first half, in one of West Ham’s few clear-cut chances.

Andy Carroll made his first appearance this season following a thigh injury, with Mexico striker Hernandez having to move out to the wing to make space for the target man.
Hernandez was quiet – although Michail Antonio was excellent on the other flank.

The Hammers’ finishing was poor – with Cheikhou Kouyate, James Collins, Jose Fonte and Antonio all squandering chances.
And it looked as if criticism of Bilic would grow when the replacement of Hernandez with Ayew was met with boos from the home crowd.

The breakthrough came in the 72nd minute when Obiang’s 25-yard strike hit Mathias Jorgensen’s back and looped over keeper Jonas Lossl.

It was the first goal that Huddersfield – or Lossl – have conceded in their first season back in the top flight.


And the second came five minutes later when substitute Andre Ayew – whose introduction for Hernandez was booed by West Ham’s fans – turned the ball home from three yards out.

Huddersfield’s major opportunity came with 10 minutes left as Thomas Ince hit the crossbar from the edge of the box.

The Terriers had enjoyed an excellent start to their maiden Premier League season, their first in the top flight since 1971-72, winning two and drawing one.

West Ham winger Robert Snodgrass joins Aston Villa on a season-long loan

Aston Villa have completed the signing of winger Robert Snodgrass from West Ham United on a season-long loan.

Snodgrass, 29, previously played under Villa boss Steve Bruce at Hull City.

Hull sold the Scotland international to West Ham for £10m in January but he fell out of favour at the London Stadium and has not played this season.

“I am delighted to join. I have had offers from other clubs but it was an easy decision to come here,” he told Villa’s website.

“You see the name Aston Villa with all its history, tradition, fan base and it’s a place you want to come to.

“Seeing it in the Championship doesn’t look right. I want to be part of that journey back up to the Premier League. I am raring to go.”

Snodgrass, capped 24 times by his country, began his career with Livingston and had spells at Leeds United and Norwich City before joining Hull in 2014.

Winston Reid signs new six-year contract at West Ham

West Ham defender Winston Reid has signed a mammoth new six-year contract.

The 29-year-old New Zealand international has committed his future to the Hammers until 2023.

Reid, who joined West Ham from FC Midtjylland in 2010, told the club’s website:

“I’m very happy. “I’m pleased we’ve got it sorted so I’m obviously looking forward to the seasons ahead. It’s going to be a big amount of time I’ve spent at the club and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’ve been here a long time now. I think with the business we’ve done over this summer and the players we had here before, I think we can go on to have a good season and seasons ahead. It’s all about trying to get better.

“I enjoy being here and my family does as well so I’m very happy I’m able to stay here.”

Reid has so far made 204 appearances for West Ham and scored 10 goals.

West Ham sign Montenegro midfielder Sead Haksabanovic from Halmstads BK

West Ham have signed midfielder Sead Haksabanovic from Swedish club Halmstads BK for an undisclosed fee.

The 18-year-old, who is a Montenegro international, has signed a five-year contract at the London Stadium, the Premier League club announced on their official website.

“I’m really happy to be here – it’s a dream come true,” said Haksabanovic. “West Ham is a big club and it is a nice feeling to have signed.

The move happened quite fast – we heard that they wanted me, so I was interested to hear the plan for me and when I did I was very pleased.

“I am an attacking player, I like to dribble and shoot, but I work hard for the team.

I am really looking forward to getting started, I have watched quite a few West Ham games in the Premier League and I can see that they have some great players and great fans.

“Now I just want to get used to being with the team and then hopefully play some games at some point next season.”

Haksabanovic, who has had trials with a host of Premier League clubs including both Manchester sides and Chelsea, became the second youngest player in Allsvenskan history when he made his debut in April 2015.

Middlesbrough sign West Ham striker Ashley Fletcher on a four-year deal

Middlesbrough have confirmed the £6.5million signing of Ashley Fletcher from West Ham.

The 21-year-old striker has agreed a four-year contract to become big-spending Boro’s seventh new signing this summer.

Fletcher joined West Ham from Manchester United last year but started just two Premier League matches, and has been pushed further down the pecking order by the arrival of Javier Hernandez.

Hammers manager Slaven Bilic told the club website: “We got a fantastic offer for Ashley and ideally I wanted to help him with a different kind of scenario, but at the end of the day the offer was so good for the club and for him personally.

“I spoke to him on Wednesday night and I told him to be proud of the step that he made since coming to West Ham last year to being a player that a lot of clubs from the Championship are asking for.

“To make such a big step is a big bonus for him and a big thing for him. He’s very young, very promising, a great lad and a great trainer, so he can improve a lot.”

Fletcher is the second player to sign for Middlesbrough from West Ham in the last seven days, joining goalkeeper Darren Randolph at the Riverside.

Relegated Boro have also brought in Britt Assombalonga – for a club-record fee of £15million – Martin Braithwaite, Cyrus Christie and Jonny Howson on permanent deals, and Connor Roberts on loan from Swansea, as they bid to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

West Ham sign former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez  from Bayer Leverkusen

West Ham have completed the £16m signing of Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez.
The 29-year-old Mexico international arrived in London on Monday to undergo a medical ahead of the transfer and has signed a three-year contract.
The striker will become the highest-paid player in the club’s history and is set to be on wages totalling £140,000 a week, aslo the Hammers’ fourth new arrival of the summer.

Hernandez has previous experience of playing in the English top-flight, having netted 59 goals for Manchester United during a five-year spell at Old Trafford.

And Hernandez, also a former Real Madrid loanee, admitted the chance to return to England was too good to turn down.

He told the club’s official website: “I am very happy to join West Ham United.

“For me, the Premier League is the best league in the world and when the opportunity came, I was desperate to sign for this club.

“It was not a difficult decision. West Ham is an historic club, and very ambitious – this summer you can see with the players signed that they are looking to have a very good season.

“I’ve had three fantastic years playing in Spain and Germany, but England was really the first big chapter in my career and I am so happy to be back.

“I am desperate for the season to start and to help the team achieve all their objectives.”
In May, Hernandez – widely known by the nickname Chicharito, which means ‘little pea’ – became Mexico’s all-time leading scorer.
He netted 39 times in 76 matches for the Bundesliga club.

Joint-chairman David Sullivan added: “We are delighted to welcome Javier as the latest fantastic addition to the West Ham United squad.

“Following the arrivals of Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic, he is another top-class professional who brings great experience and quality to the club.

“He has a proven goalscoring record in the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga, as well in the UEFA Champions League and at international level with Mexico.

“We now have some fantastic options in attacking positions and, like all West Ham fans, I am looking forward to seeing Javier score goals in a claret and blue shirt next season.”

Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez  set for West Ham medical on Tuesday 

​Javier Hernandez will fly to London on Tuesday to have a medical and complete his move to West Ham.

The 29-year-old Mexico international will become the highest-paid player in the club’s history and is set to be on wages totalling £140,000 a week.

The Hammers agreed terms with Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, releasing a statement  confirming the forward  was due in London “in  the coming days” to  complete the formalities  of his move.

West Ham have made three signings so far this summer, confirming Stoke midfielder Marko Arnautovic for a club-record fee on Saturday, while Pablo Zabaleta joined on a free transfer and Joe Hart on a season-long loan from Manchester City.

West Ham  sign  Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City  for club-record fee

West Ham have completed the signing of Marko Arnautovic for a club record fee from Premier League rivals Stoke.

The 28-year-old Austria international has agreed a five-year deal with the Hammers, for a fee thought to be slightly more than the £20.5million they paid Swansea for Andre Ayew last year, which could rise to £25m.
The 28-year-old joined Stoke from Werder Bremen four years ago and was just 12 months into a four-year contract with the Potters.

The forward, who joins Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta in signing for Slaven Bilic’s side this summer, told  www.whufc.com: “It feels special to me to be a West Ham player. Everyone knows that West Ham is a big club, with big history and I’m happy to be a part of it now. I can’t wait to get started.”

He scored seven times in 35 games in all competitions last season.

Middlesbrough sign West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph  on a four-year deal


Middlesbrough have signed Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph on a four-year deal.

Boro have paid £5million to West Ham for the 30-year-old.
“I am delighted to get it all signed and completed,” Randolph told his new club’s official website.
He recently saw Joe Hart arrive at the London Stadium, meaning he was likely to play second fiddle at best for the Hammers.
“I want to come here and get the club back to where it belongs and I want to be part of something special,” he added.
He becomes Garry Monk’s sixth signing as the new manager bids to take Boro back to the Premier League after relegation.

Jonny Howson, Cyrus Christie, Martin Braithwaite, Britt Assombalonga and Connor Roberts have already made the move.
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic said he was sorry to see Randolph leave the club.
He said: “I would like to thank Darren for his service to the club over the past two years. He has been a fantastic professional and, as a player and a person, has the respect of everyone at West Ham.

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic said he was sorry to see Randolph leave the club.
He said: “I would like to thank Darren for his service to the club over the past two years. He has been a fantastic professional and, as a player and a person, has the respect of everyone at West Ham.

West Ham agree deal to sign former Manchester United striker Javier Hernande; Arnautovic set for medical


West Ham have agreed a deal with German club Bayer Leverkusen to sign Mexico striker Javier Hernandez for a reported fee of about £16m.

The former Manchester United frontman, 29, will fly to London to finalise personal terms and have a medical.

It is understood Stoke have accepted a fee in the region of £24m. In May, Hernandez – widely known by the nickname Chicharito, which means ‘little pea’ – became Mexico’s leading all-time scorer with his 47th international goal.

Hernandez scored 59 goals in 156 appearances for United after arriving at Old Trafford in 2010, before joining Leverkusen for £7.3m in August 2015.

He has netted 39 times in 76 matches for the German club.

West Ham signed Manchester City  and England goalkeeper Joe Harton a season-long loan deal on Tuesday.

Bilic has been desperate to sign a forward after injuries to Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho meant West Ham ended last season with on-loan Jonathan Calleri, who scored one deflected goal in 19 appearances, playing in attack.

Assuming the move goes through as planned, Hernendez could make his West Ham debut against former club United at Old Trafford on August 13.

Meanwhile, Austria forward Marko Arnautovic is due to have a medical in the next 48 hours after the Hammers agreed a deal with Stoke City.
Arnautovic, 28, joined Stoke from Werder Bremen four years ago and is just 12 months into a four-year contract with the Potters.

He scored seven times in 35 games in all competitions last season.

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart joins West Ham on  a season-long loan


Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has joined West Ham on a season-long loan.
City will fund part of the England international’s wages and that West Ham have the option of making the move permanent next summer. West Ham will also pay a £4.5m loan fee to City.
Hart will join up with Slaven Bilic’s squad for their preseason training camp in Austria and Germany. He could then face City in a preseason friendly in Iceland in August, although he cannot play against his parent club in Premier League fixtures.
It is the second season-long loan deal for Hart, who spent the last campaign with Italian club Torino.

“It’s important for me to play football and to get the opportunity to come here and play is absolutely awesome,” Hart told West Ham’s website. “To be playing in the Premier League for a big club like West Ham, I’m really looking forward to the season.

“I’ve always loved the club. I think you’ll struggle to find anyone, apart from the direct opposing fans around London, who doesn’t love the club. It’s got something about it, it’s got a lot history and I’ve always loved playing against West Ham.

“We’ve moved into London Stadium and we’ve got Slaven in charge who I’ve spoken to and I’ve always enjoyed as a manager. He obviously did a good job with Croatia and he’s doing a good job here, so to get the opportunity to come here, it wasn’t really a hard decision.”
The England goalkeeper joins former City teammate Pablo Zabaleta, who left City for West Ham this summer when his contract expired.
City boss Pep Guardiola bought Chile international Claudio Bravo from Barcelona last August and has spent a further £34.7 million on Brazilian keeper Ederson Moraes from Benfica this summer.
And the 30-year-old, who will compete with fellow goalkeepers Adrian and Darren Randolph for a starting berth.

Hart could face his parent club on August 4 when West Ham taken on City in a pre-season friendly in Iceland.

“It’ll be fun to play against them because I’ll be banned when it comes to the actual season, while I’m sure Manchester United will welcome me with open arms if I get the nod and start the season away at Old Trafford,” Hart added.

Manchester City  goalkeeper Joe Hart passes medical ahead of loan move to West Ham

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has passed his medical at West Ham and is set to complete a season-long loan deal.

Hart has been told he can find another club by City boss Pep Guardiola after spending last season at Torino.

The 30-year-old’s City contract is not due to expire until 2019 and the agreement with the Hammers includes an option to make the move permanent.

He is expected to join West Ham’s squad on their pre-season tour of Austria.

It is anticipated City will fund part of Hart’s wages.

Enner Valencia departs West Ham for Mexican club Tigres UANL


West Ham forward Enner Valencia has left the club and joined Mexican outfit Tigres UANL.

The Hammers have confirmed the 27-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Everton, has moved for an undisclosed fee.


Valencia arrived in east London from Mexican side Pachuca in 2014 after impressing at the World Cup with Ecuador.

He made 68 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 10 goals including a memorable long-range strike against Hull in his first season.

Valencia played 23 times for Everton last term, mostly as a substitute, and scored three goals.

EPL results: Final day – Champions Chelsea  cruise on Terry’s farewell match; Arsenal win but miss out of Champions League; Kane nets a hat trick- wins Golden boot

​Arsenal 3 – 1 Everton

Burnley 1 – 2 West Ham  United

Chelsea 5 – 1 Sunderland

Hull City 1 – 7 Tottenham  Hotspur

Leicester City 1 – 1 AFC Bournemouth

Liverpool 3 – 0 Middlesbrough

Manchester United 2 – 0 Crystal Palace

Southampton 0 – 1 Stoke City

Swansea City 2 – 1 West Bromwich Albion

Watford 0 – 5 Manchester  City

  • Chelsea 5 – 1 Sunderland

Premier League champions Chelsea beat Sunderland 5-1 to break the Premier League record for wins in a season, as captain John Terry waved goodbye to Stamford Bridge.

With their 30th Premier League victory of the season, Chelsea have broken the competition record set by Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Blues teams in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, who both won 29 of their 38 league matches.

The win also means Conte’s men finish the season with 93 points, a tally beaten only by Chelsea’s first Premier League title-winning side in 2004-05.

Blues legend, Terry, who has spent 22 years at the club but will leave this summer, played 26 minutes after starting his second match in a row and was replaced to a standing ovation and a guard of honour from his team-mates.

Willian’s equaliser  had already cancelled out Javier Manquillo’s third-minute strike by that point, and Eden Hazard and Pedro scored after the break to put the hosts in control.

Substitute Michy Batshuayi grabbed a late double to seal a record-breaking 30th Premier League victory this season.

It was the perfect prelude to the lifting of the trophy after the match and for Chelsea’s FA Cup final against Arsenal on Saturday.

  • Hull City 1 – 7 Tottenham  Hotspur

Harry Kane finished as the Premier League’s top scorer for the second successive season after scoring a hat-trick as Tottenham thrashed Hull 7-1 on the final day.

The striker, who netted four in a 6-1 win at Leicester on Thursday, followed up with two goals inside the opening 15 minutes at the KCOM Stadium.

Dele Alli made it 3-0 before half-time and, after Sam Clucas pulled a goal back in the 66th minute, Spurs finished with a flourish.

Victor Wanyama headed in before Kane completed his hat-trick and Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld scored their first Premier League goals of the season.

Kane wins the Golden Boot award with 29 goals, four more than nearest rival Romelu Lukaku.

And the rout concludes another impressive campaign for Spurs, who finish second behind Chelsea on 86 points with just four defeats and a club-record 26 goals conceded.

Hull, meanwhile, drop to the Championship with uncertainty over the future of Marco Silva, who was serenaded by fans throughout the match in a bid to keep him at the club, with  talks planned next week.

  • Watford 0 – 5 Manchester  City

Manchester City sealed their place in next season’s Champions League by crushing Watford to finish third in Pep Guardiola’s debut season.

City skipper Vincent Kompany was left unmarked to head in an early opener before Sergio Aguero twice clinically fired in after quick counters-attacks.

The Blues, needing a point to guarantee a finish in the top four, were 4-0 up at half-time after Fernandinho bundled in.

Gabriel Jesus clipped in a fifth after the break as Watford ended the reign of departing manager Walter Mazzarri with a shocking display.

Mazzarri, who leaves after just one season, was booed by some Hornets fans during the game as the hosts suffered a sixth successive defeat to finish in 17th place.

  • Liverpool 3 – 0 Middlesbrough

Liverpool secured their Champions League return as their initial nerves turned to jubilation and relegated Middlesbrough crumbled at Anfield.

With top-four rivals Arsenal ahead at Everton, Liverpool were impotent in attack and twitchy at the back for most of the first half.

But Georginio Wijnaldum eased the tension in injury time, bursting into the box and smashing in a fierce shot at the near post.

Philippe Coutinho’s low curling free-kick six minutes into the second half was quickly followed by Adam Lallana slotting in to give the Reds a comfortable cushion to ride out to full-time.

With Manchester City thrashing Watford, Liverpool finished fourth in the final Premier League table and will have to negotiate Champions League qualifying at the start of next season.

  • ​Arsenal 3 – 1 Everton

Arsenal missed out on a place in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years despite beating Everton on the final day of the season.

Arsene Wenger’s side got the win they required despite having defender Laurent Koscielny sent off for a reckless first-half challenge on Everton’s Enner Valencia. He will now serve a suspension that will keep him out of the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.

Arsenal took the lead early on through Hector Bellerin’s far-post finish and Alexis Sanchez scrambled in a second after Koscielny’s dismissal to put the Gunners in control.

It was to no avail as Liverpool completed their task by beating Middlesbrough to finish fourth.

The Gunners did end the league campaign with a flourish though thanks to Aaron Ramsey’s brilliant injury-time strike from 20 yards after Romelu Lukaku pulled a goal back for Everton from the penalty spot.

The hosts, who also had defender Gabriel taken off injured on a stretcher, now turn their attention to Wembley, after which an announcement on manager Wenger’s future will be made.

  • Manchester United 2 – 0 Crystal Palace

Josh Harrop scored on his debut as Manchester United’s disappointing Premier League campaign ended with a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace.

Harrop was one of four players given their first top-flight starts as manager Jose Mourinho named the youngest United line-up in Premier League history, with an average age of 22 years and 284 days.

The 21-year-old midfielder was brimming with confidence and lashed in a superb finish from inside the box in the first half, and could have had a second, but curled an effort narrowly wide.

Paul Pogba doubled the advantage with a low strike before being replaced by Michael Carrick with Wednesday’s Europa League final against Ajax in mind.

With two minutes remaining the London-born and Salford-raised Angel Gomes replaced captain Wayne Rooney to become the club’s youngest ever Premier League player at 16 years and 263 days old.

He is also the first player born in the 21st century to appear in the Premier League.

Palace’s best chance went to Christian Benteke in the second half, but the striker’s towering header struck the foot of the post.

Victory means United collect £28.5m in competition prize money for a sixth place finish – their second successive season outside the top four – while Palace end the season in 14th, earning them £13.3m.

  • Southampton 0 – 1 Stoke City

Southampton” miserable home form continued as Peter Crouch struck the only goal of the game to help Stoke to a first away win since January on the final day of the season.

The home side enjoyed the majority of possession but Nathan Redmond’s lob on to the bar on the stroke of half-time was their best moment until Crouch pounced.

The striker’s 10th goal of the season arrived when he headed home a Geoff Cameron cross and they deserved the lead after creating openings throughout.

Southampton rallied late on as Jack Butland produced fine saves to deny Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse and Sofiane Boufal but Claude Puel’s side end the campaign without a win in five games at St Mary’s.

His side end the season eighth, with their lowest points tally since 2012-13, while Stoke finish 13th, their lowest finish since the same season.

  • Leicester City 1 – 1 AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth secured their highest top-flight finish with a draw at Leicester on the final day of the 2016-17 Premier League season.

Junior Stanislas put the Cherries ahead after just 59 seconds, smashing in a rebound from Ryan Fraser’s shot at the end of Lys Mousset’s driving run.

Leicester started poorly but were transformed after the break and Jamie Vardy poked in Islam Slimani’s knockdown early in the second half.

Vardy had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside nine minutes later as he stabbed in after Slimani’s blocked shot, while Slimani headed badly wide when found in space by a Riyad Mahrez free-kick with five minutes to play.

The Cherries – who finished 16th in their first Premier League campaign last year – end the season in ninth, while 2015-16 champions Leicester move down to 12th.

  • Swansea City 2 – 1 West Bromwich Albion

Swansea City fought back from a goal down to beat West Brom on the final day of the Premier League season.

Having secured survival a week earlier, the hosts were in relaxed mood at a relieved Liberty Stadium but fell behind in the first half as Jonny Evans nodded in from a corner.

Swansea improved after the interval and equalised as Jordan Ayew headed his first goal for the club, before Fernando Llorente volleyed the winning goal with five minutes left.

A fourth win in five games lifts the Swans up to 15th in the Premier League table while a ninth match without victory means West Brom finish the campaign in 10th place.

Whereas the Baggies’ second-half decline was symptomatic of their fading fortunes at the end of the season, Swansea’s late revival was representative of their inspired run-in.

  • Burnley 1 – 2 West Ham  United

West Ham ended their season with an away victory as they came from behind to beat Burnley at Turf Moor.

Burnley went ahead when Sam Vokes scored his 10th league goal of the season when he finished off Andre Gray’s low cross.

The hosts’ lead only lasted four minutes before Sofiane Feghouli netted to complete a fine move that also involved Edimilson Fernandes and Andre Ayew.

Ayew scored the winning goal with a close-range header after Tom Heaton had pushed Fernandes’ shot on to the crossbar.

The result means West Ham end the season in 11th place, missing out on a top-10 position on goal difference, while Burnley finish in 16th.

Preview: Manchester United Vs West Ham

manutd-whu2013

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea have been defeated by the Hammers this season. It has been a strange season for the London side. This season has seen them take to the cleaners the premier sides of the league. It has been against the so called lesser sides that they have been found wanting. Victory over Arsenal was quickly followed by losses at home to Leicester City and Bournemouth while an impressive win over Chelsea was quickly forgotten after defeat at the hands of Watford. If the trend is to continue, you will expect Slaven Bilic’s men to give Manchester United a very hard time and tough examination. After all, this is a side that has won convincingly at the Eithad, Anfield and the Emirates this season.

Manchester United are one point off the table but manager Louis Van Gaal has had to endure very strong criticism from the media and fans who feel the team is not playing the “Manchester United” way. Whatever way they are playing at the moment, Man United have been very comfortable at the back without giving too much away. It is in games like this that the English giants will be expected to go for the jugular but such gung-ho tactics will likely be punished if undertaken without some form of caution. West Ham’s results this season indicates this is a game they will believe they can pull off another upset.

The Red devils are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League meetings with West Ham, winning 11 and drawing two.  West Ham’s recent results at Old Trafford offers little room for optimism with an awful record of seven successive away defeats. But the incentive available for the London side is very great. A victory for the visitors will make them the first team in Premier league history to beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and Man United away from home in the same season.

 

 Team news

Manchester United

Wayne Rooney misses out due to an ankle injury he sustained in the draw at Leicester City last weekend. Marcos Rojo dislocated his shoulder in training on Wednesday and is therefore unavailable. Ander Herrera is a doubt due to a hamstring injury.

West Ham

Diafra Sakho’s injury means Andy Carroll is expected to start up front for the Hammers. Mark Noble and James Collins are available again after serving suspensions.

 

Preview: West Ham Vs Chelsea

eden-hazard-chelsea-football

West ham and Chelsea face off in this London derby with the two sides in very unfamiliar positions in the league standings. West Ham have had a fine start to the campaign and sit in 4th place. Slaven Bilic has proven to be an inspired choice with the Hammers playing some very exciting football and claiming major scalps this season.

Chelsea has had a poor start to the campaign but last weekend’s home win against Aston Villa provided the league Champions with some much-needed points and confidence. They will look to continue in the same vein but must be wary that this will be a very difficult game against a side that has claimed wins at Arsenal and Liverpool. Chelsea knows that to win this game, they need to keep Dimitri Payet quiet. The French international has adjusted quickly to life in England and has aided his team’s cause with five goals and three assists.

Chelsea have enjoyed huge success in recent meetings with West Ham, winning 13 of the last 18 and have not conceded in the last five against the Hammers. Jose Mourinho’s side have a chance to build some momentum after a poor start to the season. They face a side capable of troubling any team in the country.

Team News

West Ham

Victor Moses is ineligible to play as he is on loan from Chelsea. Enner Valencia is in line to make his first start of the campaign. Winston Reid is however ruled out with a back injury.

Chelsea

Chelsea are without Pedro, Loic Remy and Branislav Ivanovic,. First choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is still sidelined.

West Ham vs Bournemouth

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Courtesy: BBC

When the final whistle blew at the Emirates stadium on the opening day of the season, West Ham had just deflated the optimism at Arsenal. Slaven Bilic was getting all the plaudits. However, 2 weeks is a long time in football. They got a taste of their own medicine when Bilic’s men suffered defeat to a determined and efficient Leicester City and their woes compounded when number one goalkeeper, Adrian, was sent off for a challenge on Jamie Verdy.

In the absence of Adrian, Darren Randolph, a free transfer from Birmingham, will be called up to deputise. However, the new signing has had a torrid time in his previous meeting with the Cherries. He has conceded 16 goals in the last 3 games against the opposition.

For Bournemouth, they were praised for their exciting brand of football on their way to winning the Championship last season. In their debut Premier League season, they have been guilty of poor finishing and victims of refereeing mistakes. Against Liverpool, they produced an encouraging display. But a good display was decided by a Christian Benteke goal and two poor refereeing decisions.

Eddie Howe will hope his side’s spirited displays will produce goals and points as they are yet to register a point or goal as they head into the third match-day. The Cherries are expected to take advantage of any nervousness or loss of confidence on the part of West ham.

Teams News

West Ham

Adrian is suspended after been sent in the game against Leicester. In his place, Randolph will make his Premier League debut for the Hammers. Andy Carroll, Zarate and Valencia are all sidelined with injuries. There are doubts over the availability of O’Brien and Oxford and they will be assessed by the medical team to see if they can take some part in the game.

Bournemouth

Eddie Howe has no new injury worries. Harry Arter, however, remains unavailable due to injuries. Tyrone Mings and Sylvain Distin are available and could make their club debut.