By CandH blogger Allen Cummings

It’s been a very encouraging and rewarding six week period for West Ham in the Premier League since the beginning of December.

Five wins, one draw and two defeats is certainly a return we’d have been more than happy to take following our 4-0 home defeat to Manchester City at the end of November.

There has been plenty to admire over this recent productive spell, but one big plus that might have gone under the radar  is the re-emergence of Aaron Cresswell as our undisputed first choice left back.

There are very real signs that Cressa is on the way back to the kind of form that made him an immediate Upton Park favourite on his arrival in 2014 – as well as a future England left back in the making.

But while Cresswell’s own form in itself has been encouraging, there are also signs that his partnership down the left with Felipe Anderson is building into an exciting and productive pairing similar to the one he enjoyed with Dimitri Payet in that never-to-be-forgotten last season at the Boleyn.

There had been some debate as to whether Cresswell or Arthur Masuaku would be Pellegrini’s first choice this season and while Arthur appeared to offer the more attacking option of the two, Cresswell is the more accomplished defender.

He reads the game better and is certainly more tactically aware. Pellegrini’s attacking instincts initially seemed to indicate him leaning more towards Masuaku but now it looks as if Cresswell’s solid form and consistency over the last six weeks has won the manager over.

Masuaku had an outing in the FA Cup last week, but I fully expect Cresswell to be reinstated for the visit of Arsenal.

At 29 Cresswell is very much in his prime as a defender. From being a virtual ever-present in his first two seasons, his fortunes suddenly nosedived and he suffered one injury after another over the following two campaigns.

Thankfully that injury nightmare appears to be behind him now and this  has to be a massive plus for the player and the club.

There were initially calls for Pellegrini to strengthen the left back spot in January. I believe that won’t be necessary now. The manager has found his man – the No 3 shirt is in safe hands – and we’ve discovered the old Aaron Cresswell again.