Lee Hendrie drools over West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko v Aston Villa
West Ham returned to winning ways after beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday (13 March) at the London Stadium.
After a stalemate first half, Andriy Yarmolenko provided the breakthrough in the 70th minute. Pablo Fornals added another to make it 2-0 before Jacob Ramsey scored for the visitors late on.
The Ukraine forward came off the bench after replacing Michail Antonio and delivered a memorable performance.
The 32-year-old was soaked in tears after he found the net; his teammates and the entire stadium erupted to let him know that they are in solidarity with Ukraine.
Lee Hendrie, who was commentating on the game for the Premier League Tv productions, said: “Oh wow. We know he’s got magic, we know he’s got class.
“But it’s just instinct there. Real emotional goal for Yarmolenko. You can see it in his face, it means the world to him after what he has gone through.
“To come off the bench and do what he has just done is fantastic.”
Emotional
It was a really special goal for him.
We all know that a war has been going on in Ukraine, and it’s hard to fathom what Yarmolenko must have gone through all these days.
To even think about playing in such tough times is horrible, let alone scoring a goal and win points for your team is unbelievable.
Said Benrahma found him in the box in space from the left. He hit the volley instantly with his left foot leaving Emi Martinez no chance of putting up a save.
He showed great presence of mind, and could have added another to his name moments later but failed to hit the target.
It was a crucial victory for the Hammers that rekindled their top-four hopes, although Arsenal are better placed having three games in hand.
West Ham are likely to miss Antonio for their next game against Sevilla, and David Moyes could rely on Yarmolenko again to deliver.
In other West Ham news, Declan Rice can’t settle with the Irons out of loyalty – Dean Jones.
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