Town need to show some resolve
Wagner keen to move on
DAVID WAGNER wants Town to show the character they have in the past to bounce straight back from the 4-1 home defeat by West Ham United.
He said: “We have to do what we’ve done in the past. Show the reaction, the character and bounce back.”
TOWN were comprehensively beaten by West Ham for the second time this season as the Hammers romped to a 4-1 win at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Mark Noble opened the scoring for the visitors before Joe Lolley drew the sides level shortly before half time.
But a Manuel Lanzini brace and a Marko Arnautovic strike in the second period sent a lacklustre Town towards another defeat, while the Hammers crept above the Terriers in the Premier League table.
Head coach David Wagner made three changes to the side that last took to the pitch in the Premier League against Leicester City, with Scott Malone in for the injured Chris Lowe and Jonathan Hogg and Laurent Depoitre preferred to Danny Williams and Steve Mounie.
New signings Alex Pritchard and Terence Kongolo were named on the bench, with both making their Town Premier League debuts in the second half.
Lolley was selected in the number 10 role ahead of Town’s latest signing from Norwich City – a move that may have cost Town in the 25th minute.
From the Terriers’ own goal kick, Jonas Lossl rolled the ball out to Lolley on the edge of the box.
The former Kidderminster Harriers forward tried to control the ball, but got it stuck under his feet before being dispossessed by Noble.
The veteran Hammers midfielder made no mistake with the finish, punishing Town for their sloppiness under little pressure.
After making the job harder for themselves, the Terriers began to chase the game and it was that man Lolley at the centre of the action again in the 40th minute.
The 25-year-old picked up the ball on the right wing and danced into the box.
After carrying the ball toward the penalty spot, Lolley unleashed a curling, left-footed strike which nestled into the corner of the net – redemption for the forward.
Town went into the break level, but were behind again just 15 seconds into the second period.
Angelo Ogbonna’s long ball forward was flicked on by Pedro Obiang and brought under control by Arnautovic.
The winger out-witted skipper
Tommy Smith before driving a half volley past Lossl at his front post – another sloppy goal to concede for the sleepy Terriers.
And it was nearly game over for the hosts five minutes later, when Cheikhou Kouyate stabbed to ball goalwards from two yards out following Ogbonna’s header from a corner.
Luckily for Town, Aaron Mooy was awake on the line to twice save the Terriers from a two-goal deficit.
But the Australian couldn’t perform the same heroics shortly after when the lively Arnautovic played Lanzini in on goal.
The Argentine midfielder rifled past the helpless Lossl and into the bottom corner to send Town on their way to a damaging defeat.
Lanzini’s second also came through good work from the Austria international, with the 24-year-old finishing emphatically into the roof of the net.
West Ham go above Town in the table, with the Terriers now in 13th – four points above the dreaded drop zone.
Wagner will be hoping for a positive response at Stoke City next weekend to put more distance between Town and the bottom three.