Data/Image Source: REUTERS

I doubted my Hammers.

When I doubted an injured West Ham side, I also both underestimated the abilities of star midfielder Felipe Anderson and the system that Manuel Pellegrini has implemented. The Brazilian Anderson shot out of a canon in the second half, scoring two goals shortly after Southampton took the lead and nearly scoring another one on multiple attempts. A total of three goals were scored in nine minutes of play in the second, and that’s all that would be needed for West Ham to take three very important points away from the Saints.

While my Hammers won, I lost after putting my trust in Southampton on Scorum Bet. I’m still a happy man after seeing the fight in my Hammers without several of their stars, including Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez. It was an encouraging win on the road that should put additional confidence into the team (both internally and from fans and bettors) going into this weekend where they will meet a Burnley team desperate for a win.

Since I was not able to stream the match online, I turned to Sirius XM FC to listen, which is nearly as much fun. It's sometimes hard for me to follow the action on the radio as a novice soccer fan, but just as exciting. The Southampton goal, as you'll see below, was hard to describe even by a professional commentator, so I had to wait until the highlights were out to picture it.

Highlights

Anderson was clearly the man of the match. There were several attempts not shown above where he could've added his third goal for a hat trick. Perez, however, filling in for Arnautovic, was disappointing with several wide-open misses.

What’s Next for West Ham?

The Hammers now sit in 9th in the standings, tied at 27 points with Everton and Watford and one point above AFC Bournemouth and the Wolves. West Ham will travel to Burnley where they are already the favorites to win. Burnley, at 12 points, is just 2 points above Huddersfield, who are in 20th. They will need a win if they want to rise above the relegation zone.

I will not doubt West Ham because of injuries again. It is becoming glaringly clear that Pellegrini knows exactly what he's doing with the Hammers. They started off as one of the worst teams in the entire league, and now may be among the most dangerous. With five wins in their past six matches and contests against Burnley and Brighton coming up, 7th or 8th place before the start of the FA Cup is a possibility for the Hammers.

I lost SCR, but gained confidence in my team, and that's a fair trade if you ask me. However, I don't plan to make this mistake again.

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