WE SHOULD HONOUR OGBONNA

Moyes: Angelo is our new leader, legend.. we must think of him as a Hammers great

FIST CLASS Boss David Moyes acknowledges the work of Ogbonna

DAVID MOYES believes that Angelo Ogbonna is getting better with age.

And he wants the Italian centre-back to remember good times he had when he finally leaves the London Stadium.

Ogbonna, 32, has been at West Ham for six years since his £11million move from Juventus.

Always regarded as solid and good in the air, there were occasional lapses of concentration in the defender’s game that mirrored West Ham’s perennial uncertainty at the back.

But as the ball arrowed into the West Ham penalty area time and time again in the closing stages of Saturday’s clash, as Burnley vainly attempted to wrest something from this match, unerringly it seemed to meet the head of the immaculately-placed Ogbonna, or if not, the rugged Craig

Dawson. It was Ogbonna who at Everton and the gritty draw marshalled a Hammers defence at Southampton. West Ham, who might have crumbled a unusually, are becoming hard year ago against the onslaught, to beat. who issued the orders, who was “Angelo is a strong against the likes of the leader –a big burly Chris Wood, the physical member of this

Ashley Barnes. squad,” said

Moyes seems to have sorted Moyes. out those lapses because this “He’s a big shut-out made it four clean part of this sheets in a row as his team group, like Mark moved to ninth in the Premier Noble and

League. Declan Rice.

Ogbonna, who will have a “When his year left on his Hammers career finishes contract when this season we want him to be able to say ends, was a leader in the mud he had good times at West and rain in the FA Cup at Ham. If you were a goalscorer Stockport last week, in the win and scored four goals in four SWIM WHEN WERE WINNING... games, you’d be thrilled and saying Angelo was sensational. “For a centre-half to do that is a great achievement – Angelo’s levels have gone up.

“His levels of play, his concentration.

“He was called up to the Italian squad in the last window, so that gives you an idea of where his performances have been. He’s been really good.

“His form is much better. Maybe that is down to age and experience. Sometimes centrehalves do get better later in their career.

“Over the season, you have to win games 1-0. It was a day where I needed my defenders to stand up and be counted – and Angelo and Craig Dawson did that. They were magnificent.”

West Ham should have won this game by a bigger margin.

Until the later stages when they threw men forward, Burnley offered worryingly little despite manager Sean Dyche’s optimism.

The Hammers took the lead when Pablo Fornals crossed, the Burnley defence missed the ball, and Michail Antonio, outstanding all game, superbly slotted home.

Ogbonna then hit the post with a header, Ben Mee had to clear off the line, Rice skimmed the bar with a free kick, Jarrod Bowen hit the side-netting, and Manuel Lanzini wasted another good chance.

It was tighter than it should have been but thanks to Angelo, that did not matter – another three points were in the Hammers’ bag.