JLingz has arrived and West Ham United have a new strike force with a very appropriate acronym.
West Ham boss David Moyes refuses to take Martin Keown bait
Under David Moyes West Ham have been completely transformed.
Liverpool put a dent in a perfect start to 2021 last time out.
Indeed the approach to that game sparked criticism of Moyes from some sections of the West Ham support.
Enter in form Aston Villa on Wednesday night and some were worried the wheels could come off a memorable season.
Moyes LAB test is the perfect concoction
No chance of that. Moyes made a big call and handed Jesse Lingard his debut in a superb 3-1 win.
Lingard rewarded Moyes with a brace as he shone alongside Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma.
Unlikely as it seemed before the game, Moyes was brave enough to make the call despite Lingard’s lack of match action in the last seven months.
Chemistry is so important in football.
And the trio’s acronym LAB is very appropriate considering they cooked up an instant chemistry that belied their short time together on the training pitch since Lingard’s arrival on loan from Manchester United.
Super Tomas Soucek opened the scoring after a superb slide rule assist from Benrahma.
Instant chemistry is a joy to behold for Hammers fans
And Lingard added two more, both assisted by Antonio and pre-assisted by Benrahma.
Instead of criticism, now Moyes was being lauded again.
Despite all his excellent work this season and last, the Scot seems to burn through his credits quickly with some Hammers supporters.
Surely he has banked enough now to earn plenty of respect and a long-term deal?
But this is no mad professor.
Of course we are all sick of scientists right now.
You only have to turn on the TV or open the paper and there they are given the ongoing pandemic.
Moyes is a scientist we can all get on board with
The Hammers boss is certainly proving to be something of football scientist, though, based on his tactics at Villa Park.
The call he made on the LAB partnership won West Ham the game.
But he also made an equally vital decision to bring in Ryan Fredericks for Jarrod Bowen so he and Vladimir Coufal could double up on Villa talisman Jack Grealish.
It worked a treat, forcing Grealish onto the other side of the pitch.
The playmaker did manage to grab an assist from there for Villa’s goal. But it mattered little to West Ham, who responded almost immediately with a third.
The result consolidated West Ham in fifth place in the Premier League after 22 games.
And Moyes’s side are just two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
In this wide open of seasons, the Hammers stand a genuine chance of smashing the glass season and achieving something memorable.
With their potent new strike force cooked up in the West Ham LAB, Moyes is making science cool again.
Long may it continue.
Villa boss absolutely raves about Moyes and West Ham, namechecks almost entire team
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
