Angelo Ogbonna's late header at Elland Road was not only valuable to West Ham, but Sporting Life readers too, as David Moyes' side secured a 2-1 victory over Leeds.
Our expert Tom Carnduff called the anytime goalscorer at 12/1, as well as the provider in Aaron Cresswell at 10/3, as the Hammers battled back after conceding an early penalty, but Leeds’ Achilles heel from set-pieces came back to haunt them again.
For all their free-flowing football under Marcelo Bielsa, the Whites have frequently been chaotic at the back on their Premier League return – particularly from free-kicks and corners – and Tomas Soucek and Ogbonna were beneficiaries on Friday.
Mateusz Klich had given Leeds an early advantage from the spot, at the second attempt after a retake was awarded, but towering headers from the Hammers pair ensured the points went back to London.
Read Tom Carnduff's Saturday tips for the Premier League here
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- Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds head coach
“There are no mysteries to what we have to do. The set-pieces can be perfected by continuously training. We have to reproduce what happens in the game in training.
“We will continue insisting on this until we can resolve the problem. What’s happening is not exclusively about work not being done – we have had this problem in the past, we solved it, we have to again.”
Asked if he was encouraged by close margins of defeat, he added: “That’s not the case. We have lost 4-1, 3-1 and today we could have lost by a bigger margin.”
- David Moyes, West Ham manager
“I thought we played well at times, Leeds did too, and we almost expect it from Leeds to get forward but I thought their keeper was outstanding tonight.
“We created chances we should have taken too. We didn’t do any more practice than we might (on set-pieces). We have good delivery and players good in the air and it’s a big part of football, scoring from set-pieces and not conceding.”
Moyes said he was “angry” that Klich’s penalty was retaken after referee Michael Oliver was told Lukasz Fabianski came off his line before saving the initial spot-kick.
“I’m angry, I’m still angry,” he said.
“If they thought there was a doubt, why did they let the game go and then pull it back? I thought his heel was on the line and on that occasion, surely the benefit goes to the goalkeeper?”
- Aaron Cresswell, West Ham defender
Saturday brings four games in the Premier League, including the Manchester derby, and Tom Carnduff has best bets in each contest.
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