Alan Shearer fumes at ‘Terrible’ first-half in Aston Villa v West Ham United
West Ham managed a 1-0 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday (28 August), but the first-half of the game can be seen as one of the worst halves of the season so far.
Both sides failed to create enough clear-cut chances with West Ham being really poor. Alan Shearer was left fuming at the break as he brands it as a “terrible” half of football.
He labels it as “hopeless”. However, the Hammers did play well in the second half and picked up their first win of the season, thanks to a goal from Pablo Fornals.
“I think you’re very polite here in saying that it’s not a great game. It’s been a terrible game,” said Shearer, while analysing the game for Premier League Tv productions (28 August).
“Both teams struggling for form and confidence, particularly West Ham. David Moyes should be going berserk in the dressing room.
“That is nowhere good enough. And it’s pretty hopeless.”
Game of two halves
The credit should go to the Hammers for coming back strongly in the second half.
In the first half, the Hammers showed a lot of respect to Villa. They were very happy to defend deep, and it felt like the three-man defence is restricting them from expressing themselves upfront.
Gianluca Scamacca struggled upfront as he didn’t get enough support from behind.
However, in the second half, after the introduction of Said Benrahma, the Hammers played with a lot more confidence, and they got the deserved goal through Pablo Fornals.
Michail Antonio also looked lively and had a big impact on the game. Using his physical strength, he ran in channels, and was equally good with hold-up plays, allowing Declan Rice to make very good runs in the box.
Overall, the quality of the performance still needs to improve. Jarrod Bowen looked off colour, while players have failed to construct some easy passes, which is below the standards they have set for themselves.
However, the key here is to get the first win under their belt.