West Ham United recorded a draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool on Monday night.
Ashley Cole has waxed-lyrical about the way West Ham defended against Liverpool during their 1-1 draw [BBC Sport] at the London Stadium on Monday night.
The former Premier League winner pin-pointed their ability to ‘get around’ their opponent’s star players as he passed on all the ‘credit’ to manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Prior to that fixture, the Hammers had produced a number of poor performances and suffered some surprising defeats, none more so than their 4-2 FA Cup defeat against League One side Wimbledon [BBC Sport].
Nonetheless, Cole, who was working as a pundit on Sky Sports, was full of admiration for the way the home team stopped the current league leaders on the night.
“I think you have to give West Ham credit,” Cole told Monday Night Football on Sky Sports. “They defended well. Worked hard as a team and as a unit.
“They got around Liverpool’s star players and didn’t give them time on the ball. All credit to Pellegrini because they deserved the point if not all three.”
Both goals were scored in the first half, with Sadio Mane netting for the Reds and Michail Antonio scoring for the home team following a well-worked set-piece situation.
But replays after showed that Mane’s strike should not have stood because when James Milner assisted him the ball from the right-hand side, he was offside.
West Ham’s standout performer from a defensive standpoint was arguably midfielder Declan Rice, who protected the back four and ensured his team nullified Liverpool’s attacking threat.
Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop also produced strong performances at the heart of the club’s defence to help their team move within a point of 10th-placed Bournemouth.
For Liverpool, they are now three points ahead of second-placed Manchester City in the table and they can leapfrog their title rivals if they beat Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday night.
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