West Ham did not have to be at their best to beat Fulham on the opening night of Blank Gameweek 27.

With the Hammers not particularly impressing there was a lot of disappointment for a large number of Fantasy managers who had invested in their assets.

Fulham’s defensive problems continue to undermine their season, and may have been the key reason for West Ham’s 3-1 win, assessed in this latest Scout Notes article.

West Ham United 3-1 Fulham

Goals: Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (£6.1m), Issa Diop (£4.3m), Michail Antonio (£6.8m)

Assists: Angelo Ogbonna (£4.2m), Robert Snodgrass (£5.0m), Marko Arnautovic (£6.8m)

Felipe Anderson (£7.2m) disappointed his 290,000+ new owners in Gameweek 27 as he blanked for the seventh time in his last eight Premier League outings. Only Son Heung-min (£9.0m) earned more interest in the transfer market this week as Fantasy managers were attracted by a decent run of fixtures, including one in Blank Gameweek 31, and starting with the visit of Fulham to the London Stadium.

However, it was an uninspiring performance for Anderson and the majority of his colleagues as they continued to labour at attacking in open play. There were two individuals who were able to outshine Anderson as Michail Antonio (£6.8m) finished the match with more shots and more efforts in the box than any other player on the pitch. While Anderson was largely signed for his creativity ahead of Gameweek 27, Robert Snodgrass (£5.0m) played more than double the number of key passes than the Brazilian, whose delivery from free-kicks was consistently poor all evening.

Ultimately, it was another match in which Fulham were the masters of their own downfall, rather than being completely opened up by the Hammers. The Cottagers conceded both first-half goals from some awful defending at set-pieces, while their defence was all at sea for a late third strike for Manuel Pellegrini’s men.

“We never thought it would be easy before the game. Teams fighting relegation always make it hard. We had to have high pace to beat this team. We started so so bad. After those ten strange minutes, we dominated the game.” – Manuel Pellegrini

For the equaliser, Snodgrass ball into the box was initially headed up in the air but Antonio rose up to head it towards goal. It then cannoned off Angelo Ogbonna (£4.2m) before Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (£6.1m) bundled home at the back post unchallenged.

Issa Diop (£4.3m) was completely unmarked when he rose to head Snodgrass’ corner into the net shortly after. Late in the second half, Antonio was given all the time in the world to nod a Marko Arnautovic (£6.8m) cross beyond goalkeeper Sergio Rico (£4.4m).

The fact that West Ham, who have struggled offensively in recent weeks, could not get back to the ruthless free-flowing attacking football they showcased a few months ago even at home against Fulham is certainly a concern. In the four matches prior to Blank Gameweek 27, West Ham were bottom of the league for shots inside the box, and 19th for shots on target.

There were some statistical improvements in these areas for the Hammers, even if the chances created weren’t particularly clear cut. Their 20 shots in the box was more than their total for all four of the matches prior to Blank Gameweek 27, and their seven efforts on target also eclipsed their total in that department over the same period. In that sense, it was definitely a deserved win for West Ham, but how much of that was down to their own attacking prowess remains to be seen, considering how poor Fulham were.

There are other reasons to be encouraged about the Hammers though as Arnautovic’s substitute appearance in the second half appeared to improve their goal threat. He had the most clear-cut chance of the game, firing an effort from the right towards goal, only to see Rico tip it onto the bar with a wonderful one-handed save.

Also, there was a long-awaited comeback for midfielder Manuel Lanzini (£6.4m) who has been out of action with an injury picked up in the World Cup Argentina training camp. He did not offer a tremendous amount in his cameo appearance but having him back in the side certainly gave the home support a lift. Lanzini offered plenty of value as a mid-price midfielder last season and if he can get back to his best could be a powerful differential (owned by 0%) when the FA Cup-induced Blank Gameweeks roll around.

“Manuel has worked very hard over the last two weeks. He demonstrated to me that he was not afraid of playing again and he did very well.” – Manuel Pellegrini

West Ham continued to disappoint Fantasy managers who were invested in their defence. The Hammers started the game much the worse side, with Pablo Zabaleta (£4.3m) gifting Fulham a chance in the early moments. Thankfully for the home side, Ryan Babel (£5.5m) was unable to get the ball past Lukasz Fabianski (£4.7m) when really he should have scored. Moments later he did, converting Ryan Sessegnon‘s (£6.0m) cross. That means West Ham still have just two clean sheets at home this season, against Arsenal and Chelsea. Every other side who has come to the London Stadium, including any that are outside the top six have been able to score against them. Fabianski continues to soften the blow though, picking up at least one save point for the 11th successive match.

“You never know the reason (why we started so poorly) but maybe there was a distraction in that moment. The important thing was that we change the attitude in that moment.” – Manuel Pellegrini

There may be some light at the end of the tunnel of West Ham’s defensive woes. There was an update on the fitness of Fabian Balbuena (£4.3m) after the full-time whistle. The Paraguayan has been out with a knee injury since Gameweek 18.

“I suppose next week Fabian Balbuena could be back again.” – Manuel Pellegrini

Meanwhile, Fulham looked quite dangerous in the opening exchanges but proved once again that the performance of their attacking assets are too closely linked with the state of their defence. Not for the first time this season, the Cottagers looked to lose all momentum when conceding sloppy goals. Babel, who was Fulham’s top shooter for the match, even referenced this in his post-match interview, explaining that the “spirit” of the attacking players was being drained by poor defending. It certainly does not sound like a happy dressing room as their survival hopes continue to dwindle. The 61 goals they have conceded this season is the most of any side in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

“We suffered on the left flank and on set plays. It was a real big pity the referee was covered for the handball by Chicharito. I hope they will be better next season.” – Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri was clearly not happy with what he saw from his side in the opening 45 minutes at the London Stadium. He lined his team up in a 4-4-1-1 formation but pulled off Sessegnon and Jean Michael Seri (£4.9m) at half-time. Whether those two players hold their places in the squad remains to be seen, given the strength of Ranieri’s post-match quotes. Andre Schürrle (£5.5m), who missed the game with a virus, may come back in for Gameweek 28.

“I try to put more physical (into the midfield) with Anguissa in the middle to help Joe Bryan with Antonio. With Markovic to close an attack very well. Sessegnon in the first half he lost a lot of balls.” – Claudio Ranieri

West Ham United XI (4-1-4-1): Fabianski; Cresswell, Ogbonna, Diop, Zabaleta (Fredericks 45′); Rice, Noble; Anderson (Lanzini 75′), Antonio, Snodgrass; Chicharito (Arnautovic 63′).

Fulham XI (4-4-1-1): Rico; Bryan, Ream, Nordtveit, Odoi; Sessegnon (Marković 45′), Seri (Zambo Anguissa 45′), Chambers, Cairney; Babel; Mitrović.