Pablo Fornals helps West Ham past Southampton and into Europa League
Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium
Date published: Sun 23 May 2021 18.15 BST

Five years after West Ham moved in, the London Stadium finally feels like home. Although the attendance was capped at 10,000, the returning fans savoured every moment after watching their remarkable team seal their place in the Europa League with an emphatic victory over a tame Southampton.

West Ham have rarely had this much fun since bidding farewell to Upton Park. There was Mark Noble, the club’s loyal captain, telling the fans to get ready for next season’s adventures in Europe. There was the moment when Declan Rice ran clear to make it 3-0 during the dying stages, and it was fitting that the final word went to a beaming David Moyes, who looked as if he could barely contain his glee when he took the microphone and told a jubilant crowd to get their passports ready and their vaccines booked after full-time.

Moyes, who said he has no intention of selling Rice to Chelsea, has done an astonishing job since returning to east London in December 2019. Nobody envisaged West Ham qualifying for Europe at the start of the campaign. It seemed more likely that they would spend yet another season battling against relegation, particularly when the fragile relationship between the board and fanbase hit a new low following the sale of Grady Diangana to West Brom.

Instead West Ham have enjoyed one of the best seasons in their history. Moyes has performed wonders on a small budget, building an organised and talented collective who never know when to quit, and he will deservedly sign a new contract soon.

Nobody can argue that West Ham, who hope to make Jesse Lingard’s loan move from Manchester United permanent, do not deserve to have finished sixth, their highest position since 1999. The numbers are impressive. They have collected 65 points, their most in the Premier League era, and this victory was their 19th win in the league.

“We finished just outside the bottom three last season,” Moyes said. “This has been one of the biggest steps we’ve ever made. To jump this far so quickly has been huge. Great credit to the players. They’ve been so good.

“We’re in a really good place. If I had this exact team and group of players next season I’d think we had a good chance. I’m just hoping to add similar characters. You need good players to be successful.”

West Ham were on their way when Pablo Fornals, a player transformed under Moyes’s astute management, scored twice in the space of two minutes midway through the first half. Southampton, who have much to ponder after finishing 15th, had no response. “We saw the difference between these two teams,” Ralph Hasenhüttl said. “It is the reason they play Europa League and we are safe in the league and that’s it.”

Hasenhüttl was a frustrated man. Nerves seemed to weigh heavily on West Ham at first and Southampton had several chances to spoil the party during the opening 20 minutes, the best of them coming when Takumi Minamino wastefully dinked wide with only Lukasz Fabianski to beat.

Too open in midfield, West Ham took a while to gather their thoughts and they survived another scare when Kyle Walker-Peters crept behind Aaron Cresswell. Fabianski, back in goal after missing last Wednesday’s win over West Brom with a knee injury, smothered the Southampton right-back’s effort.

West Ham needed more intensity. They began to impose themselves on Southampton, making better use of Michail Antonio’s strength up front. Southampton’s defenders rarely enjoyed dealing with Antonio and they looked uncomfortable when the striker challenged for a header in the 31st minute, losing their shape when the ball dropped to Jarrod Bowen on the right.

Not that there was anything to suggest West Ham were about to score. Bowen came up with an ingenious way to carve Southampton open, however, brilliantly lobbing Mohamed Salisu before driving into the area and aiming a low shot towards the far post. Alex McCarthy saved but Fornals typified West Ham’s desire, charging on to the rebound and slamming it into the net.

The game was safe two minutes later. This time Nathan Redmond was at fault, mistiming a header and allowing the ball to reach Vladimir Coufal on the right. The right-back took a touch before clipping in a low cross for Fornals to sweep past McCarthy.

West Ham cruised through the second half. Nathan Tella had a goal disallowed for offside after coming off the bench, but West Ham were not to be denied their European tour and the party started when Rice raced clear before firing past McCarthy.

Daily Mail: MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 7; Coufal 7, Dawson 7, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7; Soucek 7.5, Rice 8 (Diop 90); Bowen 7 (Noble 83), Lingard 7, Fornals 8.5; Antonio 7 (Benrahma 69, 6).
Subs: Randolph, Balbuena, Yarmolenko, Fredericks, Johnson, Odubeko
Goals: Fornals (30', 33'), Rice (86')
Manager: Moyes: 8
Southampton (4-2-2-2): McCarthy 5.5; Walker-Peters 6 (Romeu 60, 6), Bednarek 6, Westergaard 6, Salisu 6; Armstrong 6, Ward-Prowse 6, Diallo 6, Redmond 5.5; Ings 6 (Obafemi 87), Minamino 5.5 (Tella 62, 6).
Subs: Forster, Stephens, Djenepo, Walcott, N'Lundulu, Ferry. Booked: Bednarek, Salisu, Diallo
Manager: Hasenhuttl: 6.
Referee - Martin Atkinson:
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