Garth Crooks blown away by Angelo Ogbonna in West Ham 1-0 v Everton
West Ham secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Angelo Ogbonna’s 74th-minute header getting the job done.
The Hammers headed into the international break on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Brentford, but they put in a top performance against the Toffees away from home.
West Ham particularly impressed at the back, and the solid defensive inputs of Ogbonna, 33, and Kurt Zouma blew BBC pundit Garth Crooks away.
He said while including the former in his team of the week: “This was an impressive performance by any standard away from home by West Ham.
“The Hammers seem to have found an extra layer of confidence since last season.
“What was also impressive about this victory was their defensive unit, especially the partnership between Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. They looked impenetrable at times against Everton.
“To be perfectly honest I didn’t think Zouma would work out quite as well as he has, bearing in mind I gave him a massive build-up after his debut for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“However it is Ogbonna who has grown into a top-class Premier League defender and Zouma would do well to stick closely to him.”
Top player
The veteran defender was a beast at both ends of the pitch, wreaking havoc in the Everton box to grab the crucial winner.
He has now scored eight Premier League goals, with all of them coming from set-pieces.
Seven have come from corners, the other from a free-kick, and they have been scored against a different opponent.
West Ham have such a lethal weapon in the final third in Ogbonna, and he proved too difficult to handle for Everton.
It is at the back that the Italian has constantly proven crucial to David Moyes’ plans, though, and having him and Zouma surely makes the Hammers better.
Despite his age, Ogbonna has never shown any signs of slowing down, and Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and the Frenchman can surely learn a lot from him.
In other West Ham news, Lingard has named the Hammers player who was on his case in training.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.