#3 West Ham deserve plaudits for their spirited comeback attempt
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While it could not match the joy of last season’s win at the Etihad, West Ham can go back with plenty of encouragement. Sure, their experimental back three in the first half failed miserably whilst Ashley Fletcher received no service up front and they were torn apart. But they struck back to ruffle City’s feathers in the second half. They seemed more purposeful as new signing Sam Byram replaced Gokhan Tore to push Michail Antonio into a more attacking role and the move paid dividends with the latter’s goal.
Already missing the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll and Manuel Lanzini just recovering from a knee injury. And not to mention the continued absence of their star Dimitri Payet, depleted would be an understatement to describe a West Ham squad which also faces Europa League qualifiers. However, they produced a strong performance in the second half, hoping to come back from the international break with a complete squad to produce the level of football they did last year.
