We take an in-depth look at Wednesday's win
Wednesday’s 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur was a real tactical triumph for Slaven Bilic and West Ham United.
The Hammers opted to play with three central defenders for just the second time this season, and the plan worked to perfection as they extended their unbeaten home record to 13 games in all competitions – a run now stretching for more than six months.
Spurs may have the best goal difference in the Barclays Premier League – and have only been outscored by table toppers Leicester City – but they did not get the chance to test Adrian on too many occasions.
In fact, they were unable to muster even a shot on goal until the second period, just the second time in 13 years that they had gone throughout an opening 45 minutes without producing a goal attempt.
Much of that was down to the way the Hammers nullified the visitors’ threat with their high-tempo game, and Bilic would have been delighted with the performance of everyone on the pitch.
The Gaffer made one change from the side which defeated Sunderland at the weekend, with Sam Byram’s suspension giving Pedro Obiang a chance to step into the midfield and the Spaniard took the opportunity with both hands.
According to football stats website WhoScored.com, Obiang was right up there among the Hammers’ top performers, with only Dimitri Payet and goalscorer Michail Antonio scoring more than his 7.8/10.
Obiang’s composed performance certainly caught the eye, with seven tackles helping the Hammers win back possession.
He also made 28 passes across the 90 minutes, as well as making four interceptions, a match-high seven blocks and four interceptions.
Alongside, Mark Noble, Payet and Manuel Lanzini, Obiang did a fine job of winning the midfield battle for the Hammers.
Analyse the game for yourself with in-depth stats in our Match Centre here.
The Hammers opted to play with three central defenders for just the second time this season, and the plan worked to perfection as they extended their unbeaten home record to 13 games in all competitions – a run now stretching for more than six months.
Spurs may have the best goal difference in the Barclays Premier League – and have only been outscored by table toppers Leicester City – but they did not get the chance to test Adrian on too many occasions.
In fact, they were unable to muster even a shot on goal until the second period, just the second time in 13 years that they had gone throughout an opening 45 minutes without producing a goal attempt.
Much of that was down to the way the Hammers nullified the visitors’ threat with their high-tempo game, and Bilic would have been delighted with the performance of everyone on the pitch.
The Gaffer made one change from the side which defeated Sunderland at the weekend, with Sam Byram’s suspension giving Pedro Obiang a chance to step into the midfield and the Spaniard took the opportunity with both hands.
According to football stats website WhoScored.com, Obiang was right up there among the Hammers’ top performers, with only Dimitri Payet and goalscorer Michail Antonio scoring more than his 7.8/10.
Obiang’s composed performance certainly caught the eye, with seven tackles helping the Hammers win back possession.
He also made 28 passes across the 90 minutes, as well as making four interceptions, a match-high seven blocks and four interceptions.
Alongside, Mark Noble, Payet and Manuel Lanzini, Obiang did a fine job of winning the midfield battle for the Hammers.
Analyse the game for yourself with in-depth stats in our Match Centre here.