Jack Harrison hat-trick stuns West Ham to fire Leeds to thrilling victory
Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium
Date published Mon 17 Jan 2022 05.09 GMT

This wildly entertaining contest was a good advert for playing on. Although Leeds United were in danger of having to ask one of their supporters to come on and make up the numbers during this riotous 3-2 win over West Ham, they have set the standard for the rest of the Premier League. Cry off because of injuries? Not likely with Marcelo Bielsa in charge.

As ever, it is difficult not to admire the purity of the Argentinian's approach to football. After all it would have been understandable if Leeds, who had to fill their bench with teenagers, had requested a postponement. They have been weighed down by injuries all season but, whereas other clubs have insisted that they cannot play on, Bielsa's response has been straightforward: stop complaining and give youth a chance.

For Leeds, the reward was a win that moves them nine points above the bottom three. True, they often diced with danger, especially when Jarrod Bowen almost snatched a late point for West Ham, but there could be no disputing that the right team won. Bielsa's ferocious pressing game set the tone and the hard running was accompanied by a cutting edge, Raphinha repeatedly carving West Ham apart and Jack Harrison grabbing the limelight with the first hat-trick of his career.

West Ham, who were also stretched by injuries and Covid, were overwhelmed. David Moyes's side defended poorly and argued that playing three times in a week caught up with them. Michail Antonio was playing as a left winger by the end and West Ham, who finished with the 17-year-old forward Sonny Perkins leading the line, could regret failing to pull clear of Arsenal and Tottenham following the postponement of the North London derby.

For Moyes, the worry will be that West Ham keep blowing opportunities against lowly opposition. They remain fourth, but they will not qualify for the Champions League if they do not tighten up at the back. Issa Diop and Craig Dawson struggled in central defence - Kurt Zouma's return cannot come soon enough - and although West Ham twice conjured equalisers, Harrison kept hurting them.

Leeds, who were missing nine players, looked sharper from the start. West Ham were too open in midfield with Tomas Soucek still in quarantine and they could have no complaints when a silky run from Raphinha led to Harrison opening the scoring.

West Ham, who beat Leeds in the FA Cup last weekend, were ragged as Raphinha teased Aaron Cresswell and found Mateusz Klich. The midfielder aimed for the far corner and although Lukasz Fabianski saved well, Adam Forshaw collected the rebound and teed up Harrison to score with a fine finish.

Leeds were dominant at that stage, with Dan James a nuisance, but West Ham rallied. Luke Ayling and Pascal Struijk, who had not played since November, were grappling with Antonio and Bielsa's problems increased when Forshaw and Junior Firpo limped off - not that Leeds had any time to feel sorry for themselves. They had a 15-year-old, Archie Gray, on the bench and Bielsa's response to losing Forshaw and Firpo was to introduce two teenagers; something for the Premier League to consider the next time a club asks for a postponement.

However there was more skittishness to Leeds after Lewis Bate and Leo Hjelde entered the fray. Cresswell sent in a corner for Dawson to nod wide and there was no reprieve for the visitors when the left-back whipped in another delivery, Bowen losing Stuart Dallas and heading in his ninth goal of the season.

Panic over? Not quite. Three minutes later Raphinha lifted in a corner, Ayling attacked it and Harrison took advantage of dreadful marking by bundling the ball in at the far post.

Leeds being Leeds, the game became comically stretched. West Ham threatened, Declan Rice shooting wide, and James shot straight at Fabianski. The pace was frenetic and West Ham equalised again at the start of the second half, Antonio combining with Pablo Fornals, who deceived Illan Meslier with a clever finish.

Yet Leeds refused to be cowed. They overwhelmed Manuel Lanzini in midfield, where Soucek's absence left Rice exposed, and the pressure told when Klich dispossessed the lethargic Nikola Vlasic. The ball broke to Raphinha and the winger sent Harrison in to beat Fabianski with a dinked shot.

Trying to protect a lead, Bielsa withdrew a midfielder for an attacker, removing Bate and giving Rodrigo his first minutes since November. Moments later Raphinha danced past Diop and found Klich, who was denied when his shot went in off the offside Rodrigo.

Typical Leeds. In the end they needed the linesman to spot that Bowen was offside when the West Ham substitute, Andriy Yarmolemenko, beat Meslier. West Ham pressed hard and there were anguished cries when Bowen somehow chested over from close range. It was great fun for the neutral, wonderful for Bielsa and torture for Moyes.

Daily Mail: MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Coufal 6.5, Dawson 6, Diop 5 (Perkins 87), Cresswell 5.5; Lanzini 6, Rice 6.5; Bowen 7, Fornals 7 (Yarmolenko 69, 6), Vlasic 6 (Masuaku 61); Antonio 6.
Subs not used: Areola, Fredericks, Johnson, Kral, Okoflex, Alese.
Booked: Antonio, Lanzini, Yarmolenko
David Moyes 6
Leeds (4-2-3-1): Meslier 7; Dallas 7, Ayling 7.5, Struijk 7, Firpo 6 (Hjelde 24, 6.5); Forshaw 7 (Bate 22, 6.5) (Rodrigo 65, 6), Koch 7; Raphinha 7.5, Klich 6.5, Harrison 8.5; James 6.
Subs not used: Klaesson, McKinstry, Jenkins, Moore, Kenneh, Gray.
Booked: Koch, James
Marcelo Bielsa 7
Ref: Mike Dean 7
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