Payet making up for lost time
Even though he has only 17 West Ham appearances to his name, the volume with which the traveling supporters serenaded Dimitri Payet implied he might have been a Hammer since birth. It has been true love, at very first sight, and for very good reason. Payet, starting his first match since the injury suffered during the draw with Everton, was far and away the best player on the park. With West Ham taking nearly the entire first half to recover from Andy Carroll’s injury, Payet excelled in the second period, curling in a peach of free kick, and then setting up Enner Valencia for the go-ahead with a nutmeg from between two Bournemouth defenders.
After scoring his goal he pointed to the back of his shirt, as he cantered toward the West Ham fans; he needn’t have, his name is known now, not just in East London, but around the entire league. With two defeats in their last 18 matches, West Ham have survived Payet’s absence, and are now allowing him to transform them into a genuine top four contender – they moved into fifth after this match. West Ham haven’t had a proper stud for a while, not since Tevez, a player onto whom they can load their hopes, and who can shoulder the burden with ease. They have one now, and he decided this match virtually on his own.
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