Chapter 100: West Ham (2)

Southampton had confidence in winning this match. Victory against Manchester City made The Saints have higher expectations this season.

West Ham United kick-off in the first half. At the start of the game, Southampton immediately put pressure on West Ham. Southampton's players moved regularly, targeting the Hammers players who had the ball. Southampton lured West Ham to provide a pass into the middle. The reason was Southampton players fill the midfield with more players, while West Ham put their players on the side.

In the 3rd minute, Simone managed to steal the ball from Nolan's feet, he then gave a pass to Benson. West Ham midfielder Diame tried to stop Benson, but the Southampton left-back was very good with the ball. He tricked Diame and barged past him. Benson moved the ball, he sent a long pass to the right flank.

Rustan collided with O'Brien's in terms of speed. Slowly, Rustan began to outperform O'Brien, but the West Ham right-back grabbed Rustan's shirt so tightly that the Southampton player fell and failed to get the ball.

Southampton had played aggressively from the start of the game. Even so, West Ham was still able to withstand Southampton's attack. On the right, Rustan's pace became a weapon for Southampton early in the first half, luckily O'Brien always had a way to thwart Rustan.

Joe Bennet's first debut went smoothly in the first 7 minutes of the match. He didn't make any rookie mistakes. He steadily distributed the ball from the backline to the front. Although Southampton had been attacking fiercely, golden opportunities had not appeared. Shot on target had not been obtained, Southampton was still struggling to penetrate the West Ham defense.

In the 9th minute, West Ham managed to get the ball. O'Brien made a clean tackle to bring down Rustan, after which he quickly crossed for Noble. Rudolf moved to the left and blocked the way for Noble. Noble passed the ball to Nolan, who moved past Rudolf. Too bad, Noble's through ball was so strong that Hilton managed to snatch the ball.

The Southampton center-back provided a long pass forward. The ball flew high into the West Ham defense area. Bennet adjusted, he clashed physically with Diame for the ball, Diame managed to win the duel with ease. But Diame's header was cut by Simone. The Southampton midfielder provided the pass to Bennet. Bennet protected the ball from Diame's pursuit and then passed the ball to the left.

Ryan received the ball. He tried to break through the penalty box from the left, but Demel managed to hold Ryan's movement well. He blocked the ball, making the ball go off the field. The corner kick for Southampton.

Ryan became the one who executed the corner kick. On the other, Southampton players gathered in the West Ham penalty box. The referee blew the whistle, then Ryan immediately kicked the ball. The ball did not go near the goalpost but at Rudolf who was at the forefront of the penalty box. Rudolf took the pass with his foot, then he adjusted and shot from outside the box.

Jääskeläinen, the West Ham goalkeeper, jumped and managed to catch the ball well. West Ham fans clapped their hands in appreciation of Jääskeläinen's safe.

"Very good chance from Southampton. The corner taken by Ryan leads to Rudolf's figure, which escapes from the guarded. Rudolf's powerful shot was caught well by the West Ham goalkeeper. Southampton failed to change the score."

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The match continued, West Ham was trying to build attacks slowly. However, Southampton continued to put pressure on West Ham. Rudolf was very active on the right to help Freddy defend. When the ball was on the right, Southampton will lean the formation to the right and surround the West Ham players. When that happened, the left side of the field became somewhat empty.

In the 16th minute, West Ham tried to take advantage of the width of the field. Reid passed to Diame. Bennet tried to annoy Diame but Diame easily eliminated Bennet's pressure. He then gave the ball to Nolan. West Ham left-back O'Brien stepped forward to overlap, Nolan sent the ball.

Rudolf dashed to the left and intercepted O'Brien's figure. O'Brien had a physical confrontation with Rudolf. He could still keep the ball. After that, he gave the pass to Nolan. Rustan was running and tried to steal the ball, but Nolan held the ball well. He then returned the ball to Diame. The West Ham midfielder adjusted his position while dribbling the ball. After that, he sent a long pass to the right.

Southampton's right side was empty, Taylor easily picked up the ball and dribbled it forward. Southampton left-back Benson came into the middle, so he was too late to close the area. Okhalo ran beside Taylor, preparing to intercept him, while Hilton and Simone watched Jarvis and Cole's movements.

In one-on-one situations, the West Ham players clearly have the advantage. Taylor gave a flat pass into the middle of the penalty box. Jarvis beat Hilton in a chase duel, Jarvis then turned and crossed for Cole. Cole managed to get the ball but when he kicked, Simone was slid and blocked Cole's shot.

"Wonderful counter-attack from West Ham United. The hammers used wide to break through the Southampton defense. Taylor gave a low pass through the middle. Jarvis gave Cole the ball. Oh! What a beautiful block. Captain Simone showed excellent defense. He saved Southampton's goal from conceding. The score is still 0-0."

The corner will be taken by Diame. The West Ham defensive midfielder has a good right foot. As soon as the referee gave the signal, Diame kicked the ball hard. The ball went to the far post, players from both teams jumped for the ball, but Cole was the one who managed to head the ball. Cole successfully headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. Dean Smith failed to parry the ball, so the ball went into the net.

"Goaaaall! West Ham scored the first goal through— Owh the referee declared the goal invalid, what happened? Let's see the replay."

In the replay, it could be seen before Cole scored, his hand swung first and his elbow hit Simone's forehead. Obviously, the offense was created before the goal occurred. The West Ham players were arguing about the referee's decision, but the referee was firm on his decision.

Southampton escaped from the goal, the referee awarded Southampton a free-kick from the place where the foul occurred. West Ham could only accept the referee's decision, so the score is still 0-0.

Until the 18th minute, the score was still 0-0, but several chances occurred. The match started to heat up. At home, West Ham did not want to lose against Southampton.. Both teams started to play more openly.

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