West Ham vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
West Ham toppled the reigning Premier League champions on Saturday afternoon, beating Manchester City 2-1 at Upton Park.
Morgan Amalfitano netted the opener after great work from Enner Valencia on the right, then Diafra Sakho nodded the home side two ahead following a wonderful Aaron Cresswell cross.
David Silva hit back immediately and Yaya Toure struck the outside of the post late on, but the Hammers held on for three points. Here, B/R picks winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Sam Allardyce, Whose Hot Start Continues
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Sam Allardyce has won over the Upton Park crowd in style this season, and after embarking upon a great run of form, he sealed the adulation with a priceless home victory over the reigning champions.
The fear-factor has been restored in East London—West Ham were once a horrible side to play against away from home—and most of Allardyce's big summer signings are playing significant roles.
Fair play, Sam.
Loser: Manuel Pellegrini, for Crippling His Side with a Midfield Mismatch
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Playing 4-4-2 against a 4-3-3, particularly away from home, is often viewed as a rather questionable strategy. Manchester City do it often, simply overwhelming teams with superior quality, but this match was a step too far.
This formation, against a diamond with four in midfield, was a huge mistake, and it wasn't as if we didn't know which system Sam Allardyce was set to use. Edin Dzeko was woeful up top and didn't help the numerical mismatch in the centre, and it took Pellegrini 60 minutes to rectify his error, when he could easily have been 3-0 down.
Winner: Enner Valencia, Who Nailed It on National Television
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Enner Valencia was viewed with wide suspicion upon joining the league, as on paper, the £13 million spent on him seemed a classic post-World Cup purchase destined to end up a flop.
But the Ecuador hit man has been fantastic this season following a sticky opening few weeks due to fitness hangovers, and on national television he tore Manchester City's right flank apart.
Few will be doubting the forward now, regardless of where he came from or how his talents came to light.
Loser: Kevin Nolan
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Kevin Nolan, the once-undroppable cog in Sam Allardyce's hard-nosed midfield, faces a tough time breaking into this setup. He was on the bench today and has been since returning from injury, and if West Ham's midfield continues to play in this fashion, he'll never see the pitch from the start again.
Alex Song has found his stride and is dominating centrally, Stewart Downing is excelling at the point of the diamond (Nolan's position) and the midfield runners are looking good.
The infamous Allardyce-Nolan relationship is beginning to weaken.
Winner: Adrian, Who Continues to Boost His Own Stock
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Harsh words will be directed at Manchester City, and rightly so, but they were also the width of a post away from scoring twice. The attack wasn't at full flow, but they created enough chances to score three on another day—only on Saturday, Adrian was in no mood to lose.
The Spaniard's ropey start after taking the reins from Jussi Jaaskelainen is long forgotten, and he is now one of the more reliable goalkeepers in the league. His shot-stopping is first-class, and he's as brave as they come.
