Kurt Zouma may have been getting the headlines since his arrival at the London Stadium but it was his central defensive partner Oggy who took the honours this afternoon at Goodison Park.
He provided the perfect response to the criticism he received from the manager in giving away the free kick which led to Brentford’s last kick winner at the London Stadium by grabbing the match winner on Merseyside and setting us up for another big couple of games against Genk and Spurs.
It was a terrific header from the central defender – almost a classic – which gave Jordan Pickford absolutely no chance.
He might even have had a second a few minutes later when his effort was diverted for a corner to leave both him and Zouma with rueful smiles on their faces.
, Oggy was well pleased to play his part at both ends of the pitch in a crucial 1-0 win and told Sky Sports “It was so important today because we wanted to bounce back from the last game.
“I think it was very, very important [to win]. We kept a clean sheet and got what we deserved today.
“It was a totally hard game, but I think the players in the middle of the park, like Tomas [Souček] and Dec [Rice], played fantastically. They helped us to keep a clean sheet.”
Asked if he would target further goals this season, the Italian smiled: “I wish, as long as I don’t concede!
“That is the most important thing but if I can help the team [score], I’m very glad.”
And Oggy feels that, with the quality of overall performance his team provided on Sunday afternoon, that is the calibre of side which West Ham represent now.
“We want to challenge the teams at the top,” he confirmed.
“I think everything comes from the performance and today we can’t complain about our performance.
“Like I said, we won all the second balls in the middle of the park. We were unbelievable and that’s why we had our chance here.”