West Ham United and Norwich City return to Premier League action on Tuesday evening having booked their places in round four of the FA Cup.
David Moyes’s side got the better of Leeds United 2-0 at the weekend, while the Canaries ran out 1-0 winners at Charlton Athletic.
Perhaps looking to translate their rapid rise into a long-awaited piece of silverware, West Ham were handed an all-Premier League tie against Leeds in the FA Cup but ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over Marcelo Bielsa’s men in the capital.
Manuel Lanzini ensured that David Moyes’s men would go into half time one goal to the good, and a last-minute counter-attack ended with Jarrod Bowen finishing through Illan Meslier’s legs to put the result beyond any doubt at the London Stadium.
That result marked West Ham’s third win on the bounce in all competitions following goal-laden successes over Watford and Crystal Palace, with the European challengers now two for two in 2022 and firmly in contention for a top-four finish.
Moyes’s men will temporarily rise above Arsenal into the Champions League spots with at least a point against the Canaries, but as things stand, Tottenham Hotspur are only one point adrift of the Hammers having played two games fewer.
A paltry tally of three wins from their last nine does not exactly embody that of a side harbouring ambitions of Champions League football, but West Ham have scored in all of their home games in the 2021-22 Premier League and will fancy their chances of keeping up that hot streak here.
Amid their abysmal run in the Premier League, Norwich could not find a way through against League One outfit Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup, but the introduction of Milot Rashica from the bench saw the Kosovo international strike the all-important winner in the 79th minute.
Dean Smith’s side will hardly expect a shot at glory in the FA Cup, but that result should at least give the Canaries a much-needed morale boost after a turbulent 2021 ended in the worst possible way for the relegation candidates.
The month of December saw Norwich suffer five consecutive Premier League defeats without scoring a single goal – and conceding 14 for good measure – while their proposed New Year’s Day clash with Leicester City was postponed due to COVID-19.
Norwich find themselves one point behind Newcastle United at the foot of the division and are three points adrift of safety having played one game more than 17th-placed Burnley, while a tally of three goals on the road is unsurprisingly the worst in the division.
West Ham did the double over Norwich in the 2019-20 Premier League season – scoring six goals and conceding zero – and a 3-1 win at Carrow Road in 2013 represents Norwich’s only success from their last 13 against the capital side.
West Ham United Premier League form:
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West Ham United form (all competitions):
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Norwich City Premier League form:
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We say: West Ham United 3-0 Norwich City
In spite of their autumnal struggles, West Ham have started 2022 as they mean to go on and should have no difficulty securing another win and clean sheet against a hapless Norwich side.
The Canaries’ goalscoring woes have been well-documented all season long, and Smith will be unlikely to see his attackers hit their stride here, even with the hosts missing several defensive names.