Sunday saw West Ham’s U23 side travel up to the north east of the country to face Sunderland in the East London outfit’s most recent Premier League 2 Division 2 clash.
Dmitri Halajko’s team took the spoils in a thrilling 4-2 win, seeing them rise back to the summit of the table.
Hopeful Hammers
West Ham travelled North having been knocked off their perch for the first time in 2020, as Manchester United took all three points in their clash against Norwich on Friday.
The Hammers knew that a win would take them back to the top of the table and replenish their two-point advantage on the Red Devils.
Their opposition sat at the bottom of the league, having only managed to claim one point from their 15 games prior to their test against Halajko’s high-flyers.
It had been a busy week behind the scenes for the Hammers with Dan Kemp joining Nathan Holland on the loan list, whist top scorer Anthony Scully swapped the claret and blue for the red and white of Lincoln City, joining them on an 18-month contract.
The Irons started the game quickly, as they have so many times this season. After a few half chances in the opening exchanges, they broke the deadlock in the 14th minute through a charging run made by Oladapo Afolayan, who showed incredible strength to floor the Sunderland defender and get his shot away.
The initial shot was parried out by Anthony Patterson, only for Sean Adarkwa to pounce and slot the ball beyond the Sunderland goalkeeper.
Hapless Hammers
Both teams held their shape well, as the first half passed without many clear-cut chances being made by either side, but in the final minutes before half time, Sunderland propelled themselves back into the game through a Joe Hugill strike.
The attacker latched onto a long through ball and managed to lift the ball over Joseph Anang, who made his first appearance for the Irons since being sent off against Manchester United.
West Ham started the second half as the brighter of the two sides with a couple of chances being created including a venomous strike from substitute Xande Silva, which tested Patterson in the Sunderland goal.
Having said that, it was Sunderland who would take the lead as a cross in from the left-hand side found Hugill lurking in the penalty area to finish comfortably.
Super-Sub
With his side unexpectedly behind, Halajko made his final two substitutions, as Reece Hannam and Mesaque Dju replaced Dan Chester and Louie Watson.
The Hammers launched onto the front foot in search of a way back into the game.
After 15 minutes of consistent pressure, Afoloyan played the ball through to the substitute Dju, who let the ball come across his body to strike it with his right foot, and guide it beautifully into the top corner to score his first goal of the season, levelling the score at 2-2.
Superb Silva
Just two minutes later, Silva drove through the midfield and unleashed a fantastic curling effort from 25 yards out into the far corner.
The Hammers double-blow knocked the life out of the Sunderland side, as Halajko’s side went on to regain the lead in the 82nd minute.
Geed by his previous goal, Silva picked the ball up on the left-hand side just two minutes after scoring his fantastic goal.
He drove in from the left wing, beating two defenders with a combination of skills, and then drilled the ball into the front post for Sean Adarkwa to prod home the Hammer’s fourth goal to seal the tie.
With a Monday night fixture against Stoke on the horizon, Halajko will pleased with the fight his side showed in this fixture, especially considering the key players no longer playing for the club.
