West Ham United U21s secured a 2-0 victory over Norwich City to climb to the top of Premier League 2 on Friday evening.
The Hammers have been on a winning streak, securing victories in their last three development league matches against Derby County, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Norwich City. They showcased their dominance early on at Carrow Road, with Lewis Orford and George Earthy both finding the back of the net within the first 30 minutes.
Earthy’s goal was particularly notable—a spectacular long-range strike—and he continues to develop impressively. It’s encouraging to see young talents like Earthy and Orford getting involved with David Moyes‘ first team squad. Given the club’s current injury woes, they could prove valuable as substitutes for the senior team.
England U18 player Orford opened the scoring ten minutes into the game, capitalising on a brilliantly executed reverse pass from Earthy, who demonstrated exceptional skill. Earthy then turned from provider to scorer at the 30-minute mark, firing a shot from 25 yards into the top corner, mirroring the quality of Orford’s earlier strike against PSV Eindhoven.
Academy star George Earthy is pushing for some first team minutes
In their pursuit of more goals in the second half, Orford narrowly missed a free kick, Callum Marshall hit the post, and Adiele shot wide, but the two first-half goals were sufficient to secure the U21s’ 13th league win of the season.
With a spot already secured in the Premier League 2 knockouts, the U21s have one more regular season fixture against Leicester City on Friday, April 26, before the knockout mini-tournament to determine the development league champions starts in May.