Marquee man Aguerd comes good in Moyes' hour of need

AS HE arrived to preview this game in front of the media in the pouring rain on Friday, David Moyes made a point of ensuring his umbrella was folded down and tucked away before entering the press conference room.

- Malik Ouzia

West Ham 1 
Aguerd 25

Southampton 0 

“There’s no chance I’m having that up in here,” he said, with a knowing smile.

The West Ham manager will take help from wherever he can get it over the final two months of this campaign, and his small gesture towards keeping fortune onside sprang to mind when Paul Onuachu fired his shot off the crossbar in the dying minutes here.

A couple of inches lower, and Moyes would be reflecting today on a home lead blown and the most winnable game in his side’s run-in squandered. Instead, Nayef Aguerd’s first-half header has the Hammers up to 14th, just a point outside the relegation zone, but with the comfort of games in hand.