They've beaten Arsenal, they've beaten Liverpool and now they've beaten Manchester City, all away from home. Only three other teams in Premier League history have beaten those three giants on the road, and now West Ham are the fourth. They're enjoying an incredible start to their season, one deserving of massive praise from fans and neutrals alike.
West Ham are looking like a team to be reckoned with in the EPL
Plus the other things we learned from Saturday’s games in Week 6 of the Premier League.
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Elsewhere in the Premier League, Manchester City stumbled for the first time this season, Chelsea look like they might start rolling soon and Bournemouth further established themselves as the best of the three promoted EPL sides.
Here are all the scores, plus four things we enjoyed from Saturday’s action.
Saturday’s scores
West Ham, giant-killing EPL contenders
Can we start talking about West Ham as a good side yet? Slaven Bilic has his team playing out of their minds in big matches, with three incredible results away from home against some of the biggest teams in England. Their latest achievement is downing Manchester City, 2-1, handing City their first league loss and scoring the first goals against them that anyone in the EPL has managed.
When you look at their squad, for the most part West Ham don’t look like a team that can get these results, at least not as often as they have so far this season. But when they play, Bilic’s team are out there playing as a unit, doing everything they need to in order to win matches. They can attack with great effectiveness, they defend well as a group when they need to, and for now at least, that ability has made them look like a real team to beat in England. Who knows what West Ham can pull off this season if they can keep this up?
Diego Costa, man of the match
This is what Jose Mourinho had to say following Costa's incident with Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel that ultimately ended in the latter Arsenal defender getting sent off.
[Y]ou don’t win derbies without emotional control, it’s a basic thing. I think you should speak about Gabriel and his mistake. Diego Costa played like he has to play. That’s why you have full stadiums and you sell the game around the world for millions, because the game has to be played like that. [...] Diego was fantastic, Man of the Match for me.
Costa and Mourinho really are perfect for each other, aren’t they?
Aston Villa, frustration
Aston Villa have enjoyed some spells of truly enjoyable football this season. Unfortunately, those spells aren’t resulting in points in the table, with just a win and a draw to show for their troubles coming into Saturday’s action. As for their West Midlands derby match against West Brom goes, well, that didn’t go so well either.
I have no idea why we watch football.
— 7500 To Holte (@7500toHolte) September 19, 2015 Villa had an enjoyable spell of dominant play come to a screeching halt late in the first half when a partly deflected Saido Berahino shot found its way into the back of the net. Unfortunately, such events are not terribly uncommon for Aston Villa fans to deal with this season:
If we went through in relationships what we go through in football, all of our friends would tell us to leave the abusive f***er.
— 7500 To Holte (@7500toHolte) September 19, 2015 If we’re going to be bad, could we at least be entertainingly so?
— 7500 To Holte (@7500toHolte) September 19, 2015 Steven Naismith, still an enigma
Remember last week when we talked about how bizarrely streaky Naismith can be? Yeah, about that.
Everton so much better on the counter attack, Naismith wasted that one really. One less touch and he probably scores.
— Royal Blue Mersey (@RBMersey) September 19, 2015 Oh how has Naismith not scored today. Should be finishing these with ease, could be about 9-0.
— Royal Blue Mersey (@RBMersey) September 19, 2015 Naismith turns in the box but fires well wide. Disappointing in the box today Everton, wasted so many chances.
— Royal Blue Mersey (@RBMersey) September 19, 2015
From Everton’s hat trick hero to ... whatever that was Saturday. Good stuff, Naismith.
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