Premier League
West Ham United 2-1 Manchester City 

Saturday, 25th October 2014
by Gordon Thrower

Some Sundays writing match reports can be a bit of a chore. This is not one of those days.



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Player Ratings

Adrian San Miguel del Castillo
Needed to be at his best. And was. Made at least three top notch saves at vital moments in the game.


Carl Jenkinson
Another superb game. Every now and then you read of someone anonymously returning a library book ten years after they borrowed it with a wad of notes for the fine. Couldn't we do the same with him ?EUR" I'm sure Arsenal won't notice.


Aaron Cresswell
Stuck to a difficult task well and the cross for Sakho's goal proved that last week was no fluke.


Winston Reid
Outstanding. This match saw him back to his best.


James Collins
I admit that I'd have picked Tomkins for this had I been fit. I'd have been totally, utterly and completely wrong. As usual. Hopefully they've dropped back into position after the Toure fee-kick. Came close to getting MOTM but for......


Mark Noble
Got at the City midfield throughout. Hodgson probably still thinks Fabian Delph is a better player. He is wrong.


Alex Song
Think of something immense. Really immense. Song was, er, immenser. What I am trying to convey here is the immense-ness of the player despite the silly rolled up shorts thing. The ball for the first goal was a thing of joy. He even had time to do one of those wrong foot things that Spurs (a small mid-table team in north London apparently) fans have been going all soppy over. Only against the current Premier League champions rather than some unknown team with a name that sounds like a brand of throat pastilles. MOTM. Can we do the library book thing with him as well please?


Morgan Amalfitano
Here's a thing. He's in the side as an attacking force. However, not for the first time this season he got through a prodigious amount of the type of what one might call donkey work of the sort that one would not have thought was his natural game.


Stewart Downing
Slightly unlucky not to have headed us into a 2-0 lead. Not as dominant as of late but still put in a shift for the team.


Diafra Sakho
Scored as usual. The hoo-ha about the use of the wristy buzzy goal technology thing deflected attention of just what a good header it actually was. Another constant threat. Hopefully that shoulder is ok.


Enner Valencia
Caused a constant threat to the visiting defence and his destruction of Clichy for the goal was an indication of just what a decent talent we have managed to pick up here.



Substitutes

Cheikhou Kouyate
(Replaced Amalfitano) Came in to shore things up once City changed things around and did well in that respect.


Carlton Cole
(Replaced Valencia) Not quite the threat presented by Valencia, who he replaced.


Kevin Nolan
(Replaced Sakho) Did well in breaking up, harrying and blocking to use up valuable time towards the end.


Jussi Jaaskelainen
Did not play.


Joey O Brien
Did not play.


Diego Poyet
Did not play.


Ricardo Vaz Te
Did not play.



Match Facts

West Ham United: Adrian San Miguel del Castillo, Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Cresswell, Winston Reid, James Collins, Mark Noble, Alex Song, Morgan Amalfitano, Stewart Downing, Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia.

Goals: Morgan Amalfitano 21 Diafra Sakho 75                .

Booked: Morgan Amalfitano 7 Alex Song 47        .

Sent Off: None sent off.     .

Manchester City: Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Gael Clichy, Gonzalez Jesus Navas, Francisco Fernando, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero.

Subs not used: Luis Fernandinho, Willy Caballero, Martin Demichelis, Bacary Sagna.

Goals: David Silva (77).

Booked: Vincent Kompany (44).

Sent off: None.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.

Attendance: 34,977.

Man of the Match: Alex Song.