West Ham United’s four-game Premier League winning run under Manuel Pellegrini has been something to marvel at, engulfing the whole of a remarkably fruitful month of December for the Hammers so far.
But what are the statistics behind this eye-catching hot streak that has seen the Irons rise into the top half of the table for the first time this season? Today, three days before they will look to extend the winning run to five matches at home to Watford, we are going to answer that question in our analysis.
Four wins
As aforementioned, the run, which began on the first day of the final month of the year, has seen the East Londoners win four matches in a row, a stark contrast to the way they began their first season under Pellegrini, with four defeats in a row.
The first victory came all the way back at the beginning of December, 18 days ago, with a 0-3 triumph at Newcastle United, their first win of any kind at St. James’ Park since the 2012/2013 season.
This was after the Hammers had followed beating Burnley at London Stadium in early November by not picking up an expected three points away to Huddersfield Town, before being thrashed 0-4 at home by Manchester City. Just three days later, the Magpies win was complimented by the 3-1 beating of stragglers Cardiff City in East London.
Three wins in the space of seven days was secured the Saturday after by a thrilling 3-2 victory over London rivals Crystal Palace, two of the four wins coming in London derbies. Four victories in succession was achieved a week later on the other side of the capital, with a slightly less nervy 0-2 win over Fulham four days ago.
First time in almost five years
The scintillating winning run has been made all the more impressive by a certain stat that did the rounds in the wake of Saturday’s comfortable win at Craven Cottage. It centred around the amount of time that had passed since the last time West Ham embarked on a run of four league wins on the bounce.
Almost five years was the answer, with the club not achieving the feat since February 2014 when Sam Allardyce’s Hammers took maximum points from Swansea City, Aston Villa, Norwich City and Southampton. They had six times come close with three successive wins in October 2014, December 2014, August and September 2015, December 2015 and January 2016, February and March 2016 and December 2016.
12 points
The four victories all coming in the Premier League, of course, means that 12 points have been collected from the run which has coincided with the three-game winning streak of West Ham Women.
This has seen the Irons double their entire points total from the first four months of the 2018/2019 season in the first half of December, leaping from 12 points to 24 points, levelling out their goal difference in the process. 24 points puts Pellegrini’s men a mere 16 points away from the magic safety target of 40 points and they could end 2019 just two wins away from it.
League position: ninth
As before mentioned, another glorious facet of the winning run has been the dramatic rise in league position the team has experienced, holding a place in the top half after a matchday for the first time in 18/19 this week.
Prior to the trip to Newcastle, West Ham sat 13th in the standings following the loss to then league leaders the Citizens. The first victory didn’t result in them climbing a place, the second just one, with the third taking them temporarily up to tenth before dropping to 11th. Now, they sit ninth.
Saturday’s opponents the Hornets are a place below on goal difference, scoring two fewer goals than they’ve conceded and above are Everton also on 24 points but with a better goal difference by two, and Wolverhampton Wanderers with one more point.
Incredibly, just two points separate the Hammers and Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Manchester United in sixth, making the top six an attainable goal for Pellegrini’s team in the near future. Albeit there are seven points between the Red Devils and Arsenal in sixth.
11 goals scored
One of the things that has really stood out in this run for the Irons is the amount of goals they’ve scored as we reach the part of our analysis where we analyse goals scored. The side have found the back of the net a staggering 11 times on their way to the four triumphs.
The first nine were scored in the first three wins, 0-3 at Newcastle, 3-1 against Cardiff and 3-2 at home to Palace, with the final two coming in the most recent success in Fulham. Had the club found an extra goal in West London, they would have equalled a club record of scoring three or more in four consecutive matches that had stood for the best part of a century. Only Man City have scored three or more in a PL match or more occasions than them this season.
Three goals conceded
However, it hasn’t been all about the attack in this dazzling run for West Ham, the defence have more than played their part too, including standout goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. The back-four have conceded just three goals in the four matches.
Two of the three clean sheets kept by Fabianski this campaign have come in this run, the shutout at Everton in September being added to by clean sheets at Newcastle and Fulham, with the team yet to keep a home PL clean sheet under Pellegrini. The three goals conceded would have frustrated the Hammers no end, though, especially a 95th-minute Josh Murphy consolation at home to the Bluebirds.
Top scorer: Javier Hernandez (3)
The total of 11 goals among the club’s 25 in the PL this season have been spread out evenly across the attackers, but one has just edged out a few of teammates by scoring one more. It’s the Hammers joint second top scorer for the season, Javier Hernandez with three in four games.
Chicharito found the back of the net twice on Tyneside, before adding a single strike, the second goal, in the 3-2 win over the South Londoners a week later. Meanwhile, four attackers have weighed in with two goals, club-record record signing Felipe Anderson, fellow summer arrival Lucas Perez, Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass.
Star man: Robert Snodgrass
Whilst the four-game winning streak has been more about the overall team effort than it has individuals, there has been one star who’s shone just a little brighter than the rest, a rejuvenated Snodgrass.
As well as troubling the scorers twice, breaking the deadlock at Craven Cottage and levelling the scores against the Eagles, the Scottish international has covered the most ground in the four matches (44.18km) and delivered the most crosses and key passes. And most importantly, been heavily involved in a whopping five goals.
The statistics behind West Ham’s four-game Premier League winning run may be something to admire, but there will be little time for the players and staff to bask in the glory of them over the festive period. This is because matches are coming thick and fast, starting with an opportunity to win five in a row in the league for the first time since January and February 2006, on Saturday.
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