While Dimitri Payet’s wonderful goal stole the show in Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Middlesbrough, Pedro Obiang’s contribution did not go unnoticed at London Stadium.
The Spaniard returned to the Premier League starting XI for the first time since 17 April, but looked like he had never been away, producing a performance full of composure, resilience and maturity.
The 24-year-old ignored his early booking for a foul on Boro captain George Friend to display all the qualities which saw West Ham bring him to English football from Italian club Sampdoria in summer 2015.
With the Hammers struggling to contain their opponents in their last four league matches, manager Slaven Bilic called upon Obiang, and the No14 certainly did not let him down, providing a reliable and athletic shield in front of a back four which had been left alarmingly exposed in recent weeks.
Strong in the tackle, difficult to shake off and deceptively quick across the ground, Obiang was key to West Ham ending their run of four straight top-flight defeats.
Only Dimitri Payet’s 72 touches of the ball bettered Obiang’s 60, while his three tackles made – all of them successful – were more than any other West Ham player.
The deep-lying midfielder added four interceptions – second only to Angelo Ogbonna’s five – three clearances and two blocks to his eye-catching defensive contribution.
A glimpse at Obiang’s touch-map shows he was literally all over the London Stadium pitch, with his eight ball recoveries occurring on both touchlines and in the centre of the field.
He was also more than useful in possession, making more passes, with 42, than any other Hammer. Payet may have touched the ball more, but he made only 36 passes, while Obiang’s pass-completion percentage of 78.6% also bettered the Frenchman’s 72.2%.
Of course, Payet hurts defences in different ways, most notably with his ability to dribble past five opposition defenders before shooting past the goalkeeper!
All in all, however, Obiang’s return to the starting XI certainly contributed to West Ham’s improved defensive display, which restricted Middlesbrough to just three shots on target in the 90 minutes.
It would be a major surprise if he waits another five-and-a-half months before being handed another chance to impress from kick-off!