The London Evening Standard’s Ken Dyer says West Ham United will benefit from the international break...
I thought it was a cracking game at Chelsea on Saturday, even if West Ham United were denied another famous away win late on. It was end to end and both teams went at it hammer and tongs.
West Ham are going to be disappointed for the second successive game but, as Guus Hiddink said, maybe a draw was probably a fair result on the balance of play, but having been in front twice West Ham would be disappointed not to have won.
Slaven Bilic was spitting feathers and understandably because that’s two games running where penalty incidents haven’t gone his way – the Dimitri Payet one at Manchester United and now the Ruben Loftus-Cheek one at Chelsea.
From where I was, it looked as if it was maybe outside the box and if there was any contact, I’m not sure. It did look as if it was outside and the referee Robert Madley did think about it and took his time. Maybe he got something in his ear from the linesman, but then he gave it.
As a West Ham fan, the temptation is to be pleased with a draw at Chelsea, but we’re higher than them in the table and I think the players saw that as two points dropped. Certainly if you looked at their faces as they came off, they looked very disappointed, and I’m sure that’s the way Slaven looked at it as well.
It was the 89th minute and you should be able to hold out, and West Ham had also had one or two chances before that to put the game out of sight.
As Slaven said, Paris Saint-Germain couldn’t score three goals at Chelsea, so it’s no disgrace. It’s easy to be a bit despondent but really once the dust settles, they are coming to places like Stamford Bridge and to be disappointed not to win is a sign of how far they have come.
West Ham scored two cracking goals. I thought Manuel Lanzini was superb. In the first half, especially, he was taking up positions where they just couldn’t handle him and he was linking well with Payet and scored a cracking goal.
Then what a great substitution for the second goal! Andy Carroll came on and he took it really well.
Andy is being used an ‘impact sub’ by Slaven and I can see why he likes to use him like that because by the time he comes on the game has opened up and if you put it up there, he will win it in the air.
Andy had another great chance to score one or two more and, although he got one, he won’t be happy because he wants to start matches. I’m sure when he is 100 per cent fit, he will start.
Finally, I think this international break comes at a good time for West Ham, but Slaven will be on tenterhooks until his players come back from international duty fit and well.
Notoriously, games after the international break, particularly when they have had to travel a long way, can be difficult and we are at home to Arsenal.
It’s been relentless the last few weeks, so I think the lads will enjoy a little breather.
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of West Ham United.