The defender’s return was instrumental in only the second win of the season for The Hammers
Aaron Cresswell’s impact for West Ham United was immediate in his side’s 1-0 win versus Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Making his return from injury, Cresswell assisted Manuel Lanzini for the game’s only goal and despite a late dismissal, showed that he is an indispensable asset to The Irons.
The 26-year-old Liverpudlian played a pivotal role at both ends of the pitch that has been woefully missing from Slaven Bilic’s side since the start of the campaign.
From the first whistle, Cresswell gave The Hammers that vital ingredient that the been missing from their seven games so far this campaign.
Pressing high on both Joel Ward and Wilfried Zaha on the left-hand side, the defender – in a wing-back berth – added a balance that was more akin to the West Ham of last term.
After an opening 15 minutes of making a nuisance of himself to the Crystal Palacedefence, Cresswell announced his return in the 19th minute.
West Ham have missed the dovetailing between himself and Dimitri Payet, something which stand-in Arthur Masuaka has simply been unable to do on the left.
After the Frenchman once again made fools of The Eagles’ defence, Cresswell again provided the width, whipping in low cross which Lanzini – also a shadow of himself of late – slotted home.
It almost seemed as if the defender’s returning influence was driving a new-look West Ham.
Since moving from Ipswich Town in 2014, Aaron Cresswell has played almost every minute of the last two seasons.
In that time he has amassed 20 clean sheets, 8 assists and scored twice. His effect in the attacking third, however, is only half of his game.
Battling away with a muscular, rugged Eagles attack, Cresswell looked calm and assured for the most part.
It was illustrated in both central defensive teammates Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid, who themselves appeared less of the rabbits in headlights that we have seen for the early part of the campaign.
It was particularly apparent in Reid’s game, having the austerity to chest back to his goalkeeper Adrian midway through the second period despite Christian Benteke lurking ominously.
Cresswell’s sending off, then, was a mirror image of what had passed in the prior 75 minutes.
His two yellow cards in the space of a minute reduced a solid-looking West Ham to 10 men, as the man pushing for man of the match was harshly dismissed for a late foul on Wilfried Zaha.
With Cresswell off the field The Hammers looked shaky, but held on for just their second win of the season.
After all the talk of West Ham without the likes of Payet and Lanzini’s absence as the reason behind their poor start, it is perhaps Cresswell who carries the more important role in the team going forward.
The defender will now miss Sunderland’s trip to the London Stadium, but when The Irons do travel to Goodison Park to face Everton, Slaven Bilic will know he has the man to make things tick.
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