West Ham United ensured that they would finish top of Group B in the Europa Conference League as they earned a 1-0 win over Danish side Silkeborg FC on Thursday evening.
David Moyes rotated his side in the knowledge that a draw would be enough for the Hammers to secure first place but in the end, Manuel Lanzini’s penalty would be enough for the win.
The result continues West Ham’s 100% record in Europe so far this season, with only an away game against bottom side FCSB to come before the knockout stages, with the Irons no doubt targeting a European run similar to last season – which took them to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
While Nayef Aguerd was the centre of attention for a lot of West Ham supporters as he finally made his competitive debut for the club following his £30m summer switch from Rennes, Angelo Ogbonna was arguably the star performer on the night.
As per SofaScore, the experienced Italian would earn an impressive 7.1 rating for his performance at the London Stadium, after helping the Hammers to an all-important clean sheet.
The former Juventus man, who was the captain on the night, would win 100% of the duels in which he was involved during the match, emphasising how dominant he was against Silkeborg’s attackers – all three of whom would earn below a 6.7 rating from SofaScore.
As well as contributing one clearance and two interceptions, which was an increase on the one interception he averaged per game in the Premier League last season, Ogbonna’s passing was also hugely consistent on Thursday.
The veteran centre-back completed 77 of his 82 attempted passes at the London Stadium, resulting in a superb 95% pass success rate, which again is an increase on his average of 85.2% in the top flight last season.
The “outstanding” defender has been a big miss through injury so far this season, however, he showed on Thursday night just how reliable he can be for the Hammers, so Moyes will no doubt be glad to have both him and Aguerd back available, as they are sure to play a big part for the rest of the season.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/uX95PNb
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