Aaron Cresswell delivers West Ham United masterclass v Fulham as crucial David Moyes decision justified
West Ham United picked up a huge three points in their battle against relegation on Saturday afternoon [8 April] as they defeated Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
With David Moyes’ position as Hammers boss in serious jeopardy after Wednesday’s [5 April] damaging 5-1 defeat to Newcastle, West Ham desperately need the three points to claw themselves away from the drop zone and they duly delivered in a solid showing.
The winning goal came at the expense of a Harrison Reed own goal when Jarrod Bowen picked the ball up in the penalty box and breezed past Tim Ream, with his cross inadvertently turned into his own net by the former Southampton midfielder.
It was far from convincing once again from West Ham United, but they were able to hold on to the win thanks to a big defensive effort, and Moyes’ changes in defence worked an absolute treat as the likes of Angelo Ogbonna and Vladimir Coufal shined.
But the former Everton boss will have been delighted by the selection and performance of Aaron Cresswell who proved once again why he may well be West Ham’s best left-back, with a solid and influential display at Craven Cottage.
As per Sofascore, the returning 33-year-old veteran picked up a terrific 7.6/10 average score, proving the decisive component as the Hammers redeemed themselves from Wednesday’s mauling.
Cresswell registered four clearances, won two of his three aerial duels and was only dribbled past just once throughout the whole 90 minutes. The former England international also showcased his excellent qualities in the final third too, completing eight of his 10 long balls, successfully completing three of his six crosses and providing two key passes whilst completing 75% of his passes.
After their “utterly embarrassing” display against Newcastle in midweek, Moyes will have been pressured to ring the changes for Saturday’s crucial encounter and his tactical switch proved the decisive masterstroke with the club claiming their fourth clean sheet in their last six games in all competitions [WhoScored].
Cresswell had a hand in all of them, which could well force Moyes to start Cresswell over Italian international Emerson for the foreseeable future.
Moyes will be heavily reliant on his old heads to drag him and West Ham United out of the mire, and the 33-year-old left-back could yet make the influential and telling difference in the coming weeks.
Can he also perform himself into another London Stadium contract extension too?