West Ham United secured a 4-3 win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday, with goals from Mark Noble, Angelo Ogbonna and Javier Hernandez handing the Hammers their 12th Premier League win of the campaign.
The Terriers threatened to stop Manuel Pellegrini’s men from getting a record third consecutive league win at the London Stadium after going 3-1 up with 25 minutes to play, but the hosts fought back, scoring twice in the last 15 minutes, with Mexican international Chicharito rescuing the side with his late brace.
The veteran striker deservedly got most of the plaudits post-game, but Pellegrini was pleased with his two other substitutes – Samir Nasri and Lucas Perez – praising them for their impacts.
“I think Samir Nasri changed the game." – Manuel Pellegrini pic.twitter.com/dibVl084GL
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) March 16, 2019
“Javier was playing well recently, but he had a little pressure of not scoring, so it was good for him to come from the bench, and he played very well and decided the game with two goals,” the Chilean told West Ham’s official website.
“I also think Samir Nasri changed the game of our team and Lucas Perez was always dangerous in the box, so the three substitutes did very well and that’s the reason why you need a good squad and not just a team.
“The complete team did not play well in the first 45 minutes. We didn’t play with the pace that we need, we didn’t do the movements we needed to do, and the playmakers that had to put good balls for the attackers.”
Nasri replaced Noble on the 59th minute as Pellegrini sought to attack more, and the attacking midfielder helped dictate the pace of the game as the Hammers sought a comeback.
The Frenchman delivered a perfect cross that Hernandez bagged his first goal from and he was no doubt also an inspired substitution by Pellegrini.
The 31-year-old has only featured in five league games since signing for West Ham on a free in January, but he has managed to assist twice and might end up doing enough to get his short-term deal extended beyond the end of the season.
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