Michael Brown was stunned by Said Benrahma quality v Burnley
Said Benrahma made an assist on his return to the West Ham starting line up against Burnley and Michael Brown lauded the winger’s quality.
The Algerian picked out Michail Antonio with a curling cross that only required the slightest of touches to find the back of the net.
Antonio showed good movement to provide that touch and Brown raved about the move in his punditry for BBC Radio 5 Live.
He said, “The delivery is excellent, the timing of the run perfect. It might have gone into the far post if he left it.
“Just a little deft touch by Michail Antonio, [a] fabulous reaction from West Ham. It was a wonderful ball, deserved finish.”
Game-changer
Benrahma had not started for four games before Monday’s match and he showed exactly why Ian Wright has been calling for David Moyes to pick him in the starting eleven [Wrighty’s House podcast], with the former Arsenal man seemingly a big fan of the 25-year-old.
He was too hot to handle for the Burnley defence, producing 93% pass accuracy and five key passes [SofaScore], with the quality of his cross for the goal a perfect example of how he unlocks defences.
It is wonderful that we have such talent available to us and now we have a fresh look about the team, with Manuel Lanzini also doing well.
That could be vital to our run-in as we will not have to rely on the same familiar faces to contribute goals and assists.
The likes of Jesse Lingard and Pablo Fornals should have less pressure on them as a result, while it could also drive Jarrod Bowen on to do better – he missed out on a starting place due to Benrahma’s inclusion.
We have several ways to hurt a vulnerable Everton side in our next match.
Aston Villa exposed their weaknesses with 13 shots in the 2-1 win over them last Saturday and if we can emulate that attacking style we should pick up another valuable three points.
In other West Ham news, Thierry Henry delivered his verdict on an incident in West Ham’s win over Burnley, and a Sky Sports pundit agrees with him.
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.