Lukas Fabianski has told West Ham TV he almost feels sympathy for opposition goalkeepers when they have to defend a set-piece, as David Moyes has made them so potent.
The Poland shot-stopper has seen how the Hammers swarm the six-yard box at free-kicks and corners from the other end.
West Ham crowd out opposing shot-stoppers with towering presences from all angles to make it challenging to collect the ball.
Set-pieces were the foundation of the Irons’ win over Liverpool on Sunday. With West Ham taking the lead in the fourth-minute when Pablo Fornals’ corner skimmed past Alisson.
Angelo Ogbonna had snuck into the Reds box to limit the Brazilian shot-stopper’s chances of reaching the ball. With the Italian one of three Irons men in and around the near post.
West Ham again scored from a corner for their third when Kurt Zouma met Jarrod Bowen’s delivery on 74-minutes. While Craig Dawson had rattled the bar earlier in the second-half.
Fabianski credits Moyes for West Ham set-piece success
Fabianski expects Moyes will keep creating new ways for West Ham to make set-pieces a key part of their attacks. Given how successful the Hammers have been so far this term.
“The way we work on the set-pieces, when I look at the opposition goalkeeper, you can see how aware they have to be of our threat and the way we make it so difficult, especially for the goalkeepers,” Fabianski said.
“That’s a really big asset to have, to use it in that way. So, our gaffer is really keen on working on set-pieces and making sure we cover all the things.
“It’s been working for us, so I think we will continue to do it for the rest of the season.”
Only Liverpool and Arsenal have scored more often from set-pieces than West Ham in the Premier League this season. Per WhoScored, the Reds and Gunners have each found the back of the net six times to the Hammers’ five.
West Ham have also been strong defensively at set-pieces with only two goals conceded.
Their efforts follow ending last term as the top-flight’s most lethal threat from dead ball scenarios. No side outscored West Ham (16) from set-pieces in 2020/21. While only Arsenal (5), Southampton and Manchester City (6) conceded fewer (7) over the 38 games.
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