It’s almost time for another weekend of Premier League action and West Ham’s players must have been looking forward to it all week.
The Hammers went about getting a crucial three points last time out away at Crystal Palace with a fine finish from Manuel Lanzini the difference in a performance that was intertwined with creativity and fight.
The refusal of the players to cave in when Aaron Cresswell was sent off in the second half will have impressed Slaven Bilic arguably more than their attacking play as it signalled their willingness and readiness to battle for every single point.
They now need to carry that into this weekend’s game against a Sunderland side who really need to get winning or they’ll face the drop to the Championship.
David Moyes’ side have yet to secure the three points in any game so far this season and will be determined to change that on Saturday.
There’s set to be battles all over the pitch, then, and here are the three key ones that will decide the result…
