In part three of our 2021/22 season review, we take a look a fixture-packed November and December programme..
November
David Moyes’ 1,000th match in management kicked off the month as the Hammers maintained their unbeaten Europa League record with an entertaining 2-2 draw in Genk, thanks to an impressive Saïd Benrahma brace.
Despite the fixtures continuing to fall thick and fast, Moyes' side simply refused to let up, rising to third in the Premier League by inflicting a first defeat of the season on Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool at a raucous London Stadium.
The 3-2 win came courtesy of an own-goal from 'keeper Alisson and strikes from Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma - the latter's maiden effort in Claret & Blue.
From the very start, the match was seemingly destined – through a combination of both atmosphere and performance – to become a modern Club classic, and produced a result to suit that description.
An ill-timed international break threatened to punctuate that feelgood feeling, as the Hammers suffered narrow defeats away at Wolverhampton Wanderers (0-1) - our first loss on the road of the season - and eventual Premier League champions Manchester City (1-2), the latter featuring an impressive effort from Manuel Lanzini.
But the Irons continued to waltz through in Europe, winning 2-0 at Rapid Vienna – with Andriy Yarmolenko netting and Mark Noble scoring the first goal of his final season in football – to secure top spot in Group H, in a match played behind-closed-doors.
November also saw Czech investment group 1890s holdings a.s, led by Chairman Daniel Křetínský and his colleague Pavel Horský, complete the acquisition of 27% shares of WH Holding Ltd.
December
December proved a more challenging month domestically for Moyes’ men, who slipped to fifth in the Premier League table.
They started by recovering well from the frustration of conceding an injury-time equaliser to Brighton & Hove Albion to record an enthralling 3-2 win over Chelsea, Arthur Masuaku’s cross-shot settling yet another unforgettable see-saw home game.
Either side of that and an emphatic 4-1 win over Watford – when Jarrod Bowen recorded three assists in our final game of the 2021 calendar year and Nikola Vlašić scored his first West Ham goal – came a series of more challenging results.
A frustrating 0-0 draw at Burnley and hard-fought defeats away at Arsenal and at home to Southampton on Boxing Day landed either side a frustrating Carabao Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Tottenham – a performance for which they deserved better.
But there was December delight for the Academy of Football in our final Europa group game, as no fewer than eight graduates – led out by Noble – did their teammates, coaches and Club proud.
While the game ultimately ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, the Academy starlets shone; by the end of the evening, seven had made their European debuts, three their full West Ham United debuts, and two their senior bows.
Despite the reverse, the Irons ended top of Group H on 13 points, with four wins, one draw and one defeat from their six Europa League matches – a return every supporter would have taken back when our European tour began three months prior.
And it was only going to get better in 2022... but that's for next time!
