WHZ View: On this day 2018 – Arnautovic bounces back for West Ham
Today marks three years since West Ham defeated Southampton 3-0 at the London Stadium and Marko Arnautovic stole the show.
The Austrian all but confirmed his fate as the 2018 Hammer of the Year with an excellent display. He scored twice in an emphatic win that would see us move from 17th to 14th in the Premier League table and go three points clear of the drop.
It was a significant day for the Hammers. This was the first home game since the ugly scenes in our 3-0 defeat to Burnley. Fans had invaded the pitch and protested angrily inside the ground towards the board.
But things were looking far better after this. An Arnautovic brace and Joao Mario opener were enough to take all three points and give us some much-needed breathing space from the bottom three.
Marvellous Marko
Arnautovic isn’t a name that you’ll hear much around East London these days. The 31-year-old left under a cloud in the end. After all, he refused to play for the club in 2019 and demanded a move abroad until he signed a bumper new contract.
It was short-lived. Six months later he was off to China, and West Ham fans haven’t forgotten his betrayal. A lot of the time, we’re so fixated on his departure that we forget how good he was in the 2017-18 season.
The Austrian was rightly named the Hammer of the Year after scoring 11 in the league and assisting six. None were more important than the Southampton win.
Arnautovic was in a menacing mood that afternoon. When he was up for it, defenders never stood a chance. The arrogance and belief he had in his own ability was remarkable, it’s what made the Hammers fans love him so much.
His two goals on the day were expertly taken. The first a rebound from his bullet header, in which he showed excellent instincts to react. His second was a corker. Crossed by Arthur Masuaku, he volleyed first time past Alex McCarthy in the Saints goal for 3-0 before halftime.
The disruptive forward gave us many afternoons to remember in his short stay, some good and some bad. Ironically, he’d cost us three points during his first start for the club in the reverse fixture.
After 33 minutes, Arnautovic was shown a straight red for a raised elbow on Jack Stephens at St Marys. This win, three years ago today, showed how far he’d come in his first season with us.
Fans had seen enough after two games, but he turned it around and won the Hammer of the Year and Players Player of the Year too. It’s a shame how it ended, none of the fanbase remember him fondly, to be honest.
In other West Ham news, the international break came at the perfect time for this Hammers ace.