West Ham are well organised, resilient and incisive, and even the London Stadium now feels like a football ground
As Pablo Fornals ran on to Jarrod Bowen’s through-ball midway through the second half, the London Stadium fell into one of those pregnant silences that were probably the greatest loss of the time without fans. Over the course of what can only have been two or three seconds but felt far longer, you could almost hear the thought processes. First, was he going to get his shot in? Yes. Then, was he set to measure his finish? He was. Then, was his shot going to beat Alisson? It did, just about, carrying on into the net despite a hefty touch by the keeper.
Is the London Stadium still disliked by West Ham fans? Perhaps it is. It is not, and never will be Upton Park, and there remains something deeply odd about having to edge past the Sunday afternoon shoppers in Westfield to get to a Premier League game. But in that moment, as anticipation became realisation became delight, the London Stadium felt like a football ground.
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