100% ground duels, 100% dribbles: Top-Class summer signing was West Ham’s best performer vs Southampton
West Ham United secured a 1-0 victory over Southampton in Thursday’s Premier League clash at St Mary’s Stadium, lifting them to 13th place in the league, surpassing Manchester United.
The Hammers had a sluggish start to the match and were fortunate not to concede before halftime. Southampton created several good chances, but thanks to Lukasz Fabianski’s excellent goalkeeping and some poor finishing, they were unable to break the deadlock.
West Ham also suffered injuries to their experienced goalkeeper and Max Kilman in the first half. However, the visitors improved after the break and managed to score the only goal of the game. Tomas Soucek redirected Edson Alvarez’s cross, and Niclas Fullkrug flicked it to Jarrod Bowen, who calmly tapped it in.
Southampton pushed for an equalizer, but West Ham held firm to secure their sixth win of the season.
Top Performer
While Bowen scored the match-winning goal, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was arguably the standout player for Julen Lopetegui’s side. The summer signing was solid in defense, making crucial clearances and offering vital support.
Wan-Bissaka set up a great opportunity for Carlos Soler early in the match, but the midfielder hit the crossbar. He completed 100% of his dribbles and won all of his ground duels.
With 64 touches, he completed 34 of 42 passes (81% accuracy). Defensively, he contributed three clearances, three tackles, and three key passes, although he lost possession 10 times.
Since arriving in East London last summer, Wan-Bissaka has made an immediate impact at West Ham. He has played in 17 Premier League matches, scoring two goals.
