West Ham went to Swansea City on Saturday, faced the league leaders in their own stadium, and came away with a statement win. Divine Mukasa’s first-half finish was the only goal, and it was enough to cut the gap at the top of the Championship to a single point.
West Ham arrived four points behind Swansea after back-to-back draws with Millwall and QPR, followed by the 6-0 win at Lincoln. Nuno Espírito Santo made just one change from that win, bringing Mukasa into the side, with Piroe dropping to the bench. Konstantinos Mavropanos was fit to start after a knock at Lincoln. West Ham lined up with Hermansen in goal, a back four of Veltman, Mavropanos, Kilman and Morato, Kanté and Engels in midfield, Bowen, Mukasa and Solomon behind Pablo up front.
Pablo as the loan striker was a gamble by Nuno, but it worked as he was part of linking Kanté to West Ham’s only goal. After good work from Pablo and Bowen, Kanté picked out Mukasa in the penalty area, and he finished left-footed. It was West Ham’s first shot of the game. The goal wasn’t without controversy. The home supporters felt Kanté was offside when he squared the ball, but it stood, and West Ham went into the break a goal up.
West Ham could have made the second half far more comfortable. Pablo blazed one chance over the bar and then, from less than ten yards with the keeper at his mercy, fired straight at Vigouroux’s legs. Mukasa’s lovely pass released Bowen, and Castellanos finished the move, only for it to be ruled offside. Swansea had their own big moment when their captain somehow volleyed wide from five yards.
Nuno kept his changes attacking. Castellanos replaced Pablo, Austbø came on for Kanté after 68 minutes, and Piroe and Souček replaced Solomon and Mukasa late on. West Ham held their lead through five minutes of added time, and Piroe even had a late chance to make it two.
This wasn’t a dominant display, and West Ham will know they should have scored more. But it was a hard-working, feisty win in a tough place, against the side that had set the pace all season. After only one league win in four, it’s the kind of result that restores belief, and it puts West Ham within a point of top spot.
Kanté and the defenders were the standouts, and Mukasa made his return to the side count. Bowen, by most accounts, had a quieter day, but his work in the build-up was part of the winning goal.
Player Ratings
| Player | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mads Hermansen | 7 | Clean sheet and well protected by his back four |
| Joël Veltman | 7 | Solid and dependable down the right |
| Konstantinos Mavropanos | 7 | Fit enough to start, and commanding in the air against a pressing side |
| Max Kilman | 7 | Calm and composed throughout |
| Morato | 6 | Steady, and had to fight off Yeo the entire match. He missed a couple of opportunities just outside the box. |
| Mohamadou Kanté | 8 | Man of the match. He set up the winner, physical presence, key defensive blocks, and went off after 68 minutes. He covered a lot of ground. |
| Arne Engels | 6.5 | Tidy, helped West Ham cope with Swansea’s pressing |
| Divine Mukasa | 7.5 | A classy left-footed finish for the winner, and a lovely pass to release Bowen. Solid defensively. |
| Jarrod Bowen (c) | 6.5 | Quiet by his standards, but involved in the build-up to the goal. 2 bad passes that could have lead to scoring opportunities. |
| Manor Solomon | 5 | Some nice running, but wasted a good chance from 16 yards after Bowen squared it |
| Pablo | 6 | Good link-up before the goal, but missed two big second-half chances, including one straight at the keeper from inside ten yards |
| Substitutes | ||
| Taty Castellanos | 6 | Had the ball in the net from Mukasa’s pass, but it was ruled offside |
| Edvin Austbø | 6.5 | Came on for Kanté after 68 minutes and kept West Ham attacking. Getting stronger with each opportunity. |
| Joël Piroe | 6 | Late cameo, shot wide in added time but kept West Ham pressing. |
| Tomáš Souček | 5.5 | Late cameo, helped close the game out |
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