Home of football statistics and historyWest Ham United’s excellent 3-0 victory at Newcastle United on Saturday could provide the club with the perfect platform to start climbing the Premier League table over the next few weeks.
The Hammers’ attacking quality shone through at St James’ Park, with goals by Javier Hernandez (2) and Felipe Anderson sealing a deserved win.
Having been beaten comprehensively by Manchester City the previous week, this was a much-needed three points for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
The result moved West Ham up to 13th in the table and raised hopes that a season of struggle could be avoided.
The players appeared in good spirits at Newcastle, perhaps boosted by some of the squad enjoying a Crazy Snooker Challenge with Steve Davis and John Parrott in the run-up to the game.
Pellegrini will now hope his team can carry their form into what looks to be a favourable run of games during December.
The Hammers are back in action on Tuesday, December 4, as Cardiff City visit the London Stadium. Neil Warnock’s side have won just three games this season and this looks a golden opportunity for West Ham to pick up another three points.
Crystal Palace are next on the agenda on Saturday. West Ham are unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with the Eagles and they will fancy their chances of extending that run this weekend.
The short trip across London to face Fulham the following Saturday should also hold no fears for West Ham. Fulham have struggled on their return to the top flight, although new manager Claudio Ranieri will hope to have a sparked a revival by the time the two sides meet at Craven Cottage.
West Ham have another winning opportunity on Saturday, December 22, when they host Watford. The Hammers won 2-0 when the two sides met back in February and they will hope to repeat the trick this time around.
Away trips to struggling Southampton (27/12) and Burnley (30/12) complete a hectic December schedule that could be tremendously productive for the Hammers.
While it is unlikely that they will reel off six wins in a row, a 12-14 point haul shouldn’t be beyond them and would be an excellent way to head into 2019.
There was plenty of talk before the season that West Ham’s squad was capable of securing a top-half finish in the Premier League – they have a chance to prove the merit of those claims over the next few weeks.
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