Freddie Potts excels – Three decisions Nuno Espirito Santo got right as West Ham beat Burnley
Nuno Espirito Santo guided West Ham to a vital three points with a 3-2 win over fellow strugglers Burnley at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Burnley went into the lead at the London Stadium as Zian Flemming powered a header past Alphonse Areola, but the sides were level at the break as Callum Wilson turned Crysencio Summerville’s deflected shot in from close range.
It was the Hammers who looked the more likely to win it as time went on, and Tomas Soucek repeated the trick that saw him score late on against Newcastle last week as he bundled home in the 77th minute.
The game ended 3-2 as Kyle Walker-Peters and Josh Cullen netted just before the end, and Nuno Espirito Santo has been criticised for some decisions since he became West Ham boss, but he got a number of things right on Saturday (8 November) to help his side earn the win.
Football Insider have picked out three things he got spot on as West Ham beat Burnley 3-2 in East London.
Freddie Potts handed consecutive Premier League starts
Young midfielder Freddie Potts has had to wait for opportunities this season, but Nuno has handed them to him since his arrival and has been rewarded handsomely for his faith in the academy product.
Potts was superb as he helped the Hammers get the better of the midfield battle, particularly in the first-half as he outshone his teammates with the most duels won, tackles and chances created before the break.
His afternoon was unfortunately cut short just after the hour mark as he went off with an injury, but Nuno’s decision to start him for the first time in successive Premier League games absolutely paid off, and he will surely play more going forward.
Tomas Soucek brought on to add firepower
Nuno was always likely to call on Soucek from the bench towards the end of the game, but he came on a slightly earlier than planned after Potts’ injury.
The decision to send him on at that point rather than Soungoutou Magassa, Guido Rodriguez or Andy Irving proved to be a masterstroke.
The Czech midfielder was his usual busy self as he made life difficult for the Clarets in midfield and popped up with the goal that ultimately led to a much-needed victory, as he has done so often in recent years.
Nuno switched to a back five late on
Nuno often played a back five during his time as Wolves manager, but deployed a more conventional back four during his time at Nottingham Forest and has also done so in the early parts of his spell at West Ham.
He did well to not actually take any of his defenders off, even after Max Kilman had a shocker against Burnley, with consistency needed to see them through the game right until the end.
What he did do, though, was switch to a back five with Igor Julio slotting into the defence as he came on seven minutes from time, and they stood firm and were even able to nick another goal through Walker-Peters before Areola dropped a clanger to allow Cullen a consolation.