WHZ View: Craig Dawson defending the West Ham way
West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup last night in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Scott McTominay’s goal in the seventh minute of extra time was enough to separate the sides and the Red Devils advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
The Hammers defended valiantly throughout the 120 minutes of action. We lost key players to injuries and were forced to change formation.
David Moyes switched from a backline of four to a back five after first-half injuries to Angelo Ogbonna and substitute Iss Diop.
We also lost our back-up striker option, Andriy Yarmolenko, in the second half to what appeared to be a knee injury. Without Michal Antonio and Jesse Lingard, we lacked real firepower upfront.
Despite the casualties at the back, one man who shone once again was centre-back Craig Dawson. The 30-year-old was making his tenth appearance for West Ham since joining on loan from Watford in the summer.
He had to wait until December for his chance in the first team, after initially becoming a bit of a forgotten man in east London. Since coming into the side, the defender has played a pivotal role in us winning six games in 2021.
He’s helped us keep five clean sheets, four of those coming in his first four games. It’s the best start to a career at West Ham any defender has ever had. The Englishman has also scored three goals for the club despite making his debut just over a month ago.
Against United, he was outstanding again. According to WyScout, he completed 91% of his passes accurately, and 100% of his attempted crosses.
The number 15 blocked three goalwards shots and made three clearances in the box. He also won 62.9% of his defensive duels, with nine interceptions and 15 possession recoveries.
Dawson was actually really unfortunate to not be named man of the match. Had he buried his opportunity, a header from a corner, in the last minute he’d have surely taken all the plaudits.
He’ll play a crucial role going forward, especially if we’re to be without Ogbonna. We’re yet to know any more on the extent of his injury after he limped off in the first half.
In other West Ham news, talkSPORT’s Jason Cundy has had his say on David Moyes’ tactics following the defeat to Manchester United.