West Ham United Declan Rice has admitted on Monday Night Football, which was broadcast on Sky Sports, that Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Mahmoud Trezeguet were causing his side big problems in the first half.
West Ham beat Villa 2-1 last night, but David Moyes side didn’t exactly dominate the contest.
Indeed, they went in at the break thinking that they were rather fortunate to be on level terms.
And Rice admits that Moyes shifted West Ham’s formation in the second period to try and deal with the threat that Villa were posing.
“He [Moyes] was unhappy,” Rice said. “He didn’t go into too much detail as we know as players that half wasn’t good enough.
“We are old and mature enough to know that’s not the level we had been playing at.
“They were playing a 4-3-3 and we were a 5-2-3, and they were causing us problems in the midfield.
“We couldn’t get around them quick enough and when you players like Jack and Trezeguet coming in off the lines, causing problems, the manager had to change it and that’s why we went to a four second-half.”
Moyes’s shift in formation paid dividends instantly, as West Ham retook the lead immediately after half-time, with substitute Said Benrahma getting the assist.
Benrahma floated in a cross which Jarrod Bowen converted, in what proved to be the wining goal.
West Ham still had some scary moments in the second half, but Villa’s wasteful finishing ensured that David Moyes’s side grabbed the three points.
West Ham are now in fifth place in the Premier League table, after making an extremely bright start to the campaign.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
