West Ham United beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Monday night – but they had to avoid a few scares.
The Hammers took an almost instantaneous lead, as Jarrod Bowen’s inch-perfect corner was powered into the net by Angelo Ogbonna.
West Ham retreated after that, and Jack Grealish took full advantage as he drove forward and fired home a deflected strike beyond Lukasz Fabianski.
David Moyes made two half-time changes as he threw on Sebastien Haller and Said Benrahma for Michail Antonio and Arthur Masuaku, switching to a 4-2-3-1 – and it paid off instantly.
Benrahma crossed for Bowen to flick a header into the net, putting West Ham 2-1 up – though Ollie Watkins would then miss a penalty and have a late equaliser ruled out by VAR.
West Ham are now up to fifth in the Premier League, and Moyes deserves huge credit for his bold double change at half time, with Benrahma making an impact.
The Algerian joined on loan from Brentford in October, but had to be patient and wait for his chance – and he took it last night, showing the quality that will see West Ham sign him permanently next summer.
West Ham fans took to Twitter to react to Benrahma’s performance, suggesting that he ‘oozes class’.
Others called on Moyes to start the Algerian going forward, believing that he showed exactly why he should be a key player having changed the game immediately on Monday night.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
