Tuesday night saw an all-English clash in the quarter-final of the Premier League International Cup as West Ham U23s travelled to Pride Park Stadium to take on Derby County U23s.
After a hard-fought affair that went all the way to penalties, the visiting side progressed into the last four of the competition. Six goals were shared between the sides in normal time, forcing the game into extra time, where the deadlock still couldn’t be broken.
With both sides known for their attacking prowess and ability to break teams down, the teams traded blows for the majority of the game, proving to be one of the East London side’s most entertaining games in recent history.
All Guns Blazing
Oladapo Afolayan (pictured above), on the ball for West Ham’s U23s.
In typical fashion, West Ham started the game on the front foot, as they created a couple of early chances which resulted in a breakthrough in the opening minutes. Following a passage of precise passing, to which we have become so accustomed this season, Ben Johnson drilled in a low cross for Oladapo Afolayan to poke West Ham into the lead.
The early breakthrough sent shockwaves through Derby’s squad, as just four minutes later the Hammers found the net through another Afoloyan finish. The ball was brought down by Mesaque Dju at the back post, and his rabona cross was confidently finished by Afolayan.
Back In The Game
Although it took a while, Derby managed to find their feet in the tie, riding a number of the Hammers’ punches while trying to conjure up a way to get back into the game. Losing important players such as Morgan Whittaker and Louis Sibley to the first team in recent weeks looked to be causing problems for the Rams, until they were awarded a penalty in the 33rd minute for a high boot from West Ham ‘keeper, Joseph Anang.
The spot kick was smashed into the bottom left corner by Derby’s top scorer this season Jahmal Hector-Ingram, to bring The Rams back into the tie.
The home side started to put on the pressure towards the end of the first 45 minutes, but they couldn’t find an equaliser despite their efforts.
An Electric Second Half
There was one change in personnel for the Irons at half-time, as goal-scorer Afolayan had to be replaced by Bernado Rosa, after sustaining a horrifying arm injury shortly before the break.
There was a huge chance for the visiting Hammers at the start of the second half, as Xande Silva and Dju went two on one with Derby’s defence, but it was the foot of the Rams ‘keeper Matt Yates that stopped Dju’s attempt.
Back to Basics
Dmitri Halajko decided to shift back to his favoured three in midfield for the remainder of the game, as he had started the fixture with two up-top. Xande Silva moved in from the wing to become the attacking centre-point for the Hammers.
However, it was the hosts who would score next, as a corner was whipped in for Jordan Brown to clinically head home. With the two sides level, the game was poised for an exciting climax.
With a change in momentum, the 63rd minute saw a huge chance for the home side to take the lead. Irish midfielder Festy Ebosele whipped in a low ball for Josh Shonibare, who had much of the goal to aim at, but couldn’t direct the ball beyond Anang into the Hammers net.
Continuing through this period of fast-paced football, the Hammers pushed on to find the goal to get them ahead. In the 73rd minute, another fantastic ball in from Johnson on the right-hand side found the substitute Bernardo Rosa at the front post to fire the ball past Yates, an instant impact from the young Brazilian.
Looking for An Answer
Derby instantly stepped up the pressure as they could see their dreams in this competition being taken away from them, but the Hammers attempted to dampen the opposition’s attack by passing the ball around quickly and efficiently.
But Halajko’s instructions were not quite enough for the Irons this time, as Derby’s talisman Hector-Ingram was on target again, beating the defence with good pace to slot the ball past Anang with just seven minutes left on the clock.
It was a cagey end to a game that offered so much in the sense of expansive football, but West Ham’s evening became much harder in the 92nd minute, as Alfie Lewis picked up his second yellow card for a late challenge, meaning that the Hammers had to play the full 30 minutes of extra time with 10 men.
Tired Legs
Ademipo Odubeko came on as a replacement for first-teammer Andriy Yarmolenko, having scored his first goal on his Hammers debut just last week. Both teams looked lethargic in the late exchanges of this fixture, with most of both teams’ players not being used to playing at such a high level for this period of time.
Derby piled on the pressure, with the extra man giving them a huge advantage over Halajko’s men. After a couple of close calls late on, The Irons managed to hold on to take the game to penalties.
Emphatic Hammers
In an impressive shootout, Halajko’s hammers came out 6-5 victors, with the deciding penalty from Derby’s Tyree Wilson being saved by Joseph Anang. Anang managed to redeem his error which lead to Derby’s first goal. The West Ham shot-stopper looked enormous between the sticks, a real presence in the goalmouth.
With this win, West Ham progress into the semi-final of the competition for the very first time, where they will face Arsenal U23s. With the momentum that this shootout victory will surely bring, the East London side will be feeling good coming into the tail end of this season and will be hoping to clinch the two trophies that are still available to them this term.
