Aaron Cresswell is back at his best and yesterday he proved it yet again with another great performance and his fourth assist of the season during his 200th appearance.
He has completed 535 passes, the highest amongst West Ham players
Made 43 progressive passes, again the most from any Hammers
He has made 788 touches with 35 crosses, the most in both categories of any Hammers with 432 ball carries., the 2nd highest of any West Ham player.
It was a fitting way to crown a landmark 200th Premier League appearance of his career. Afterwards, Cresswell credited the 2-1 victory to how well West Ham banded together and persisted, even in the face of their early disappointment and spurned opportunities.
“I think if you look at it, it was similar to the Manchester United game with the chances we created,” he reflected. “We had more than four or five – you could say clear-cut – chances, but we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.
“We know what Leeds are all about – they never stop, they really graft and run all over the pitch – but credit to the lads, we stuck together and got the three points that we wanted. I think it [our gameplan] went out of the window after two minutes when they got the penalty, but these things happen. As long as we didn’t lose our heads and give away another goal… [In the second half] it was just about not giving up and keeping going. Credit to the lads, we stuck with it and got the three points.”
Cresswell also hailed teammate Ogbonna for the thumping header which ultimately sealed the result.
“Set-pieces are massive,” he confirmed. “We’ve got Paul [Nevin] and Kevin Nolan who take a real shine to it and really sit down and work it out. Credit to them.
“You look at our set-pieces – not only the first contact, but the second phase, like when Tomáš gets to the second balls… it’s a massive part of our game and it’s worked again tonight.
“[For the winner] Angelo stepped up again. Lucky for me, I put a good ball in and he’s got on the end of it and put one in for me!”
He added: “We’ve just got to keep looking forward to the next game and not get too far ahead of ourselves.
“We looked at the fixtures at the start of the season, lots of them against the top seven teams, and we knew it was going to be a tough start.
“We’ve done really well with it and we’re not getting complacent. 12 games in, it’s still early – let’s just see where we can go.”
Cresswell had a great game last night – hat’s off to him. I wasn’t the only one who doubted he could perform at left back like the Cresswell of old, but last night proved me wrong. He’s always had class but his energy and speed seems to be back once more. Whether it’s the result of improved fitness or self-belief or feeling valued by the management, who knows? It’s just so good to see him back on top form.