Jan Bednarek pushes Southampton past David Moyes’ slumping West Ham
Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium
Date published Sun 26 Dec 2021 22.00 GMT

West Ham's challenge for a place in the top four is in danger of falling apart. After defying expectations for so long, David Moyes's side can barely do anything right at the moment. They have become easy to play against and their need for defensive reinforcements to arrive in January could not have been more glaring during this defeat to Southampton, who delighted in exposing West Ham's weaknesses without Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna holding everything together at the back.

The problem for Moyes is that there are no simple solutions. West Ham have not been as solid since losing Ogbonna and Zouma to injury – the absence of Aaron Cresswell at left-back has also taken a toll - and it is hard to see them keeping up with Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United if they fail to sign a commanding centre-back next month.

"We've got to hang on to the teams above us," said Moyes, who was furious with the defending for all of Southampton's goals. West Ham's manager did not pull his punches. Moyes had seen further evidence that a central-defensive pairing of Issa Diop and Craig Dawson is not good enough for a side hoping to qualify for the Champions League, and although West Ham twice dragged themselves level during the second half, it did not come as a major surprise when Jan Bednarek headed in Southampton's winner with 20 minutes left.

Nobody could argue that Southampton, who were winless in six games, did not deserve it. James Ward-Prowse was oustanding in midfield, Armando Broja was a handful up front and there was personal satisfaction for Ralph Hasenhüttl, who had never beaten West Ham before. "It's fantastic we can win here," Southampton's manager said. "It's an important step for the team."

Southampton, who had squandered leads in four of their previous six matches, were the better team from the start. West Ham, who are seven points below fourth-placed Arsenal after winning once in seven games, could not get going. They lacked intensity and Southampton eagerly took advantage, taking the lead when Mohamed Elyounoussi fired past Lukasz Fabianski after eight minutes of dominance from the visitors.

West Ham were sleeping. Travel chaos meant that the crowd was well below capacity and the drab atmosphere affected Moyes's players. They were slow to everything and were unable to respond to Hasenhüttl's decision to swap his usual 4-2-2-2 system for a 4-1-4-1, a ploy that gave Southampton a way of playing around Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice in midfield.

"It didn't feel like we were getting any control," Moyes said.

Southampton's opener was a case in point. The resistance was minimal when Elyounoussi drove forward before exchanging passes with Kyle Walker-Peters and drilling in a low shot from 20 yards.

West Ham retreated and had was no cutting edge, with Michail Antonio only on the bench after returning from a period in self-isolation. Jarrod Bowen struggled to assert himself against Southampton's centre-back, Mohammed Salisu, and there was little sign of any understanding between Nikola Vlasic, Saïd Benrahma and Pablo Fornals.

The worry for Moyes is that West Ham have become predictable against teams who sit off them. They have failed to beat Burnley, Brentford Brighton, Crystal Palace and Southampton this season and they barely threatened before the break, aside from the moment when an error from Bednarek gave Vlasic a rare opening.

Moyes was under no illusions as the interval approached. "I could have changed four or five at half-time," he said, though he restricted himself to bringing on Antonio and Manuel Lanzini for Fornals and Vlasic. The changes led to an instant improvement and West Ham were level after 48 minutes. Bowen delivered a corner from the right, Dawson rose above Ward-Prowse and the ummarked Antonio nodded past Fraser Forster from close range.

Suddenly, with Bowen on the right and Antonio up front, West Ham looked dangerous. They almost led when Rice, who will miss Tuesday's game at Watford after picking up his fifth booking of the season, went close from 25 yards.

Southampton were undeterred though. The visitors had identified Arthur Masuaku as a weak link at left-back and they went in front again when Diop was duped by Broja, a deceptively powerful runner who had a strong case for a penalty after falling over Dawson's clumsy challenge. Kevin Friend checked the pitchside monitor and Ward-Prowse beat Fabianski from the spot.

Now it was a proper contest. West Ham roared back and equalised again when Bowen burst clear and crossed for Benrahma, who made his one useful contribution of the afternoon by volleying past Forster.

Unfortunately for Moyes, West Ham were still too open. They cracked again when Ward-Prowse's free-kick found Bednarek. The Champions League felt rather away by the end.

Daily mail: MATCH FACTS
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 5.5; Masuaku 5.5, Dawson 5, Diop 5, Coufal 5.5; Rice 6, Soucek 5.5; Vlasic 5 (Lanzini 45, 6), Fornals 5 (Antonio 45, 6.5), Benrahma 6 (Yarmolenko 81); Bowen 6
Subs (not used): Areola, Ashby, Fredericks, Johnson, Kral, Noble
Scorers: Antonio (49), Benrahma (64)
Booked: Rice, Dawson, Bowen
Manager: David Moyes 5.5
Southampton (4-1-4-1): Forster 6; Livramento 6, Bednarek 6.5, Salisu 6, Walker-Peters 6.5; Romeu 6 (Diallo 90); Redmond 6, Ward-Prowse 7.5, Elyounoussi 7, Walcott 6 (S Armstrong 89); Broja 6 (Adams 81)
Subs (not used): Caballero, Simeu, Valery, Perraud, Long, A Armstrong
Scorers: Elyounoussi (8), Ward-Prowse (61 pen), Bednarek (70)
Booked: Broja, Bednarek, Walker-Peters
Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl 6.5
Referee: Kevin Friend 5
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