WHZ View: The one area where West Ham have shown improvement despite defeat
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield was a disappointing one for West Ham, and that is perhaps a sign of how far they have come this season.
The defeat means that they are now three games without a win and 14th in the table, but that is following a run which has seen them face Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool already (via WhoScored).
Despite playing so many of the Premier League’s top sides in the opening weeks in the season, Moyes’ side rank seventh in terms of expected goals difference and fifth in terms of expected goals against. During the match against Liverpool they allowed just nine shots, the Reds season average 17.6 per game, and just 1.1 non-penalty xG in a 2-1 defeat, with 0.6 of that coming from Diogo Jota’s goal (via FBRef).
According to FBRef, only Aston Villa have restricted last season’s champions to less than two expected goals in the Premier League this term, and no side has kept Liverpool to as little as 1.1 npxG.
The Hammers’ record against some of the Premier League’s other leading sides is equally impressive. Arsenal generated 1.4 xG, Leicester generated 0.4 xG, Spurs generated 1.2 xG and City generated 1.1 xG. Prior to the Liverpool match, 1.5 xG was the most David Moyes’ side had given up in a single game and that was against Newcastle United on the opening day of the season (via FBRef).
When compared to last season, you can put this level of improvement into context. During the 2019-20 season, only Norwich City and Aston Villa conceded more xG than West Ham, while their xG difference was the fifth worst in the division. Their 62 goals conceded was also the fifth worst record in the league.
Speaking after the game, Moyes was clearly disappointed with how the game played out, criticising Liverpool attacker Mohammed Salah for what the Scot perceived to be a dive. However, his later comments show that he has noticed the defensive improvements his side have made.
“It’s a good sign that we’re disappointed not to take anything from Anfield,” said Moyes (via BBC Sport).
“We had really good opportunities to maybe get a second goal. I wanted it to be more than just the odd counter-attack. We were a threat, we were well organised and disciplined in the jobs we had to do.”
In their next three Premier League games, West Ham face Fulham, Sheffield United and Aston Villa. If they continue to defend like they have in recent weeks against some of the best attacking sides in the division, they will have a great chance of climbing the table.
In other West Ham news, View: David Moyes must adapt to Antonio hammer blow