Dimi’s Messi effort halts Hammers rot
DIMITRI PAYET scored a goal straight out of the Lionel Messi handbook to help WEST HAM avoid a fifth straight Premier League defeat.
MIDDLESBROUGH led 1-0 when Payet beat five players before netting and even opposition manager Aitor Karanka said: “It was difficult to stop. The quality of players like him was always going to be the difference.”
West Ham keeper Adrian said: “Payet is like that in training. He scored like a Lionel Messi goal at Barcelona! It is a massive goal to us.”
And Hammers boss Slaven Bilic said: “It was an unbelievable goal, it was a pure magic. It was only a shame it wasn’t a winning goal. We needed that moment of class from our best player to lift the whole team up.”
West Ham remain in the bottom three and Bilic said: “I feel pressure because I am not happy with our position in the table. But I believe in my team and I’m a hard worker. Although we didn’t win today we showed that the team is alive. We are together.”
SUNDERLAND are two points behind the Hammers, although they lifted themselves off the bottom of the table, if only temporarily, with a draw at home to WEST BROM.
But Black Cats boss David Moyes again complained about the quality of his squad and said: “We had a great chance through Jermain Defoe – I expected him to score. We’re pleased we got a point out of it.
“I’m still disappointed we didn’t take the three points.
“The point gives us something to build on. We needed the three points though.”
CHELSEA employed a three-man defence against HULL and came away with a 2-0 win thanks to goals by Willian and Diego Costa at the early season pacesetters, who are now down to 15th.
And there are new doubts over the future of temporary boss Mike Phelan, whose contract offer remains unsigned. He said: “Questions must be answered.”
WATFORD marked manager Walter Mazzarri’s birthday by fighting back twice from behind to draw 2-2 with BOURNEMOUTH at Vicarage Road.
Mazzarri said: “The players have given me a nice present today. If they had have been slightly more concentrated they would have given me three points but I am happy now.”