Written by: Angus Waters

 

After Haller’s brace against Watford, and Teemu Pukki’s astounding start to his Premier League career, Stratford looked like the place to be for pure action this weekend.

While it only took two minutes for Mark Noble to find the back of the net last week, this game started slowly, with both teams holding back. If anything, Norwich were much the better side for the first ten minutes, with Issa Diop desperately trying stop the prowling Pukki.

The first bit of action came in the 12th minute, when Yarmolenko went down in the box, appealing for a penalty. However, VAR was not needed, and the game carried on. The Hammers nearly had their first a few minutes later, when a beautiful piece of hold up play curtesy of Haller let Felipe Anderson through on goal, however his shot went just wide.

25 minutes of football, and still no goal. Up step Sebastien Haller. A beautiful run and cross from Masuaku found his sliding feet to put us 1-0 up. A tap-in that would leave Muggo Arnautovic slouching in his chair in Shanghai.

It only took five minutes for Norwich to nearly put one of their own in the back of the net, with Cantwell missing a header from three yards out, very similar to the Hughes sitter last week. 

That was pretty much all the action in the first half, Sebastien Haller’s third goal of the season sending us into the break a goal to the good.

Both teams came out for the second half unchanged, and the first few minutes were very indifferent from the start of the first, with the exception of a Cantwell strike hitting the bar – albeit offside. 

Yarma was a whisker away from doubling our advantage with a beautiful volley from a Mark Noble cross, before taking his second opportunity less than half a minute later! West Ham 2 – Norwich 0.

It was back and forth until Manuel Lanzini nearly put the icing on the cake, Tim Krul matching his heading effort from inside the box, curtesy to another stunning cross from Masuaku. Haller nearly scored a minute later, another good save keeping the Hammers out.

It was pure domination from there on in, with numerous chances just escaping us. Haller arguably should have had a penalty when he was brought down in the box, however the referee had other ideas.

And that’s pretty much how it ended. West Ham 2 – Norwich 0. A dominant performance and a clean sheet! Can you believe it! If any lesson could be learned from that game, it’s if you stop Pukki, you stop Norwich. Either way it could have easily been 5-0.

COME ON YOU IRONS!!!