Nick Ware

Sun 7 February 2021 15:44, UK

The game will be remembered more for a refereeing shocker but it should not be forgotten the big opportunity that West Ham missed out on v Fulham.

Against a side scrapping for survival and without a Premier League victory since November 30 the Irons looked bereft of ideas and were left hanging on at the end as the home side ramped up the pressure at Craven Cottage before Tomas Soucek received a baffling late red card in a 0-0 bore draw.

Sure, this is only a minor blip with David Moyes currently inspiring a sensational run of form that has seen them lose just once in their last 11 games with the side sitting pretty in fifth position in the Premier League table and looking good for a European spot this season.

But the statistics paint a concerning picture and Moyes must not revert to type and look to scrape out late wins.

The scepticism that greeted the second coming of Moyes at the London Stadium was well documented – it was seen as an uninspiring choice of a manager who had been given his chance before and did not offer attacking football.

While he has not opted for an expansive style of play this time round with a 42% possession average for this season West Ham have scored their fair share of goals with a respectable 34 in 23 Premier League games.

This ability to create chances was sorely missing v Fulham on Saturday evening.

The Irons had just 39% of the ball against Fulham, despite fielding a side containing the talents of Declan Rice and Jesse Lingard.

Even more concerning though was the mere one shot on target they recorded which was a hopeful Rice effort from range early in the first half.

Given that their per 90 average is at 11.39 [per Wyscout] this is a shocking drop down and unsurprisingly they have only managed less than this once previously (zero v Chelsea on December 21).

An xG of 0.6 is a figure that falls well below the season average of 1.65 and they have only managed a lower score on three occasions.

After a poor start one would have expected Moyes to ring the changes and bring on the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals to offer some creativity to the side.

While Andriy Yarmolenko was introduced just before the hour mark, the other two substitutions left many Irons supporters scratching their heads.

Moyes opted to send Mark Noble and Ryan Fredericks on for Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio to send a clear message out as to his intentions for the game – hold out, nick a point and run back to East London.

In doing so he removed 10 Premier League goals from the pitch and replaced that with zero.

Of course managers do not always have to pick the most attacking players to win the game but frankly Noble and Fredericks offer very little going forward and do not even bring a defensive solidity to the side.

Indeed Noble won zero of his three defensive duels and none of his six overall.

Fredericks did at least offer some late bursts of energy down the right but made just one pass (out of two attempted) in his 20 minutes on the field.

Fulham’s xG was 2.27 – only two opponents have recorded a higher total v West Ham this season.

So despite a reserved approach Moyes still witnessed his side give up clear-cut chances that the hosts should have tucked away.

Who are we to criticise Moyes and his coaching staff after a terrific campaign so far, but the sign of a great team is showing positivity when on top and in form.

Against Fulham we looked passive and that had a lot to do with the instructions from Moyes and co.

At West Ham Zone we would like to see more exuberance from the side and Moyes to let the handbrake off against teams like Fulham who sit 24 points behind.

In other West Ham news, see our exclusive interview with Frank McAvennie for his views on the Irons error made in the transfer window.