West Ham failed to manage a fifth place in the Premier League table after drawing 1-1 with Stoke City held at Upton Park. The lone scorer for West Ham was Joey O’Brien, but the efforts were not just enough to earn them a position in the league table that they were expecting. Clearly, the first half belonged to Stoke City after they which they appeared to have lost control over the entire match. Jon Walters netted for them with ample ease after turning Glenn Whelan’s corner into a sure goal. It was still just 13 minutes of the game that the ball sailed through Andy Carroll.
The home supporters went into a frenzy mood after watching Walters being obstructed out in the middle. The man in question was Charlie Adam involving George McCartney as well. However, things took a sudden turn with West Ham getting back into the game as it dominated the entire second half. It was only when O’Brien’s first goal created a sensation in the team and among fans as well. Everything that required was there with Gary O’Neil’s cross proving to be the most important thing at that time. Interestingly, O’Brien has appeared for the team a record 58 times without a single goal to his credit. This Premier League season has clearly filled that void now.
There was left much from manager Sam Allardyce after the team went without scoring the winning goal. With this draw, a great opportunity was already lost by West Ham to grab the fifth position even after having 21 points to its credit from the 12 matches they played. However, this performance is no less than a wonder because it is only after a gap of 28 years that they are into this situation when ex-manager John Lyall stood up for them. In comparison, the performance of Stoke City is even more dismal.
They extended their dubious streak of not winning away games even after playing 16 matches. There is no dearth of talent or aggression, but what matters them the most is the manner in which they play as a single unit. West Ham drew second Premier League match at a stretch after getting 1-1 with Stoke. On an overall, the performance of Stoke will leave their manager Tony Pulis absolutely delighted with a single point. The visitors had a great ball during the initial stages of the match by riding high on the heroics of Peter Crouch.
West Ham goalie Jussi Jaaskelainen was sharp enough in thwarting a goal out of a Robert Huth header on 23 minutes as Stoke eyed a 2-0 lead. However, it was interesting to notice Stoke going into the defensive mode once they saw West Ham surging head. Their motives were clear enough after watching Peter Crouch getting in tandem with the defenders. Since then, the visitors made several attempts to gain an upper hand with repeated attempts. However, there was not enough spirit in it that could have answered the defending tactics of Begovic and Crouch.
