James Collins praises Arnautovic and Adrian after West Ham’s Boxing Day draw

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West Ham United played out a turbulent 3-3 draw on Boxing Day to remain just outside the Premier League relegation zone.

James Collins

James Collins has told West Ham’s official website that he thought that Adrian played well during the Hammers’ Boxing Day draw with Bournemouth, while he hinted that he felt that the defence let Marko Arnautovic down somewhat at the Vitality Stadium.

David Moyes’ men remain in a precarious position in the Premier League table after drawing on the south coast. And while the Irons boss may not be entirely happy with his side’s display, it was certainly an enthralling game for the neutrals to watch.

Marko Arnautovic

West Ham went 1-0 up thanks to Collins, before coming from 2-1 down with 10 minutes to go to lead 3-2 after Arnautovic bagged a quickfire brace, but the Cherries scored an extremely controversial equaliser that West Ham felt could have been disallowed for handball or offside to ensure that the points were shared.

And after the game, Collins suggested that Adrian and Arnautovic are two players who deserve praise for their displays, seemingly suggesting that the defence should have done better for them.

Adrian

“We knew we were going to be under the cosh a bit and block and save shots and Adrian has played well and made some great saves there,” he told the club’s official website.

“Arnie has done great. Since he got his first goal, we’ve seen a real difference in him. He’s been tremendous and hopefully we can defend better and he can get another couple of goals in a win.”

Adrian came in for plenty of criticism after the defeat to Newcastle before Christmas, but his general form since coming back into the side has certainly been impressive, and he has surely earned the right to remain the Irons’ number one.

Meanwhile, few players in the division have enjoyed as incredible a turnaround as Arnautovic. The Austrian went into the clash with Chelsea earlier in the month having not scored in the top flight following his summer move to the London Stadium, but he has now scored five in his last five league games to almost establish himself as the talisman for the club.