West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce hailed Andy Carroll’s best-ever performance after the striker hit a double against 10-man Swansea City on Sunday.
Carroll had only scored two Premier League goals since his permanent move to Upton Park in the summer of 2013, but he netted in either half to cancel out Wilfried Bony’s opener for Swansea – with Diafra Sakho making it 3-1 and sending West Ham third.
Allardyce revealed during the week that he had opted to sign Carroll instead of Bony – insisting he would still come out with the better end of the deal despite the Ivory Coast forward scoring freely for the South Wales side.
And Carroll, bagging his first goals in nine months, went some way to proving his manager right with a match-winning display as West Ham continued a fine start to the campaign – with only Chelsea and Manchester City ahead of them.
“I have to say it was very close to it and when he has scored two at the end you would have to say yes,” Allardyce said when asked if Carroll had shown his best since joining the club.
“His movement and the quality of our balls into the box is very apparent. He is 100 per cent fit because he played all the games this week and his recovery has been good. Because he scored two it will make you run around more to try and get the hat-trick.”
Swansea manager Garry Monk insisted he will contemplate appealing against the red card given to goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski after the former Arsenal man was adjudged to have fouled Sakho with the scoreline at 2-1.
“If you look at the build-up to it, he knocks the ball past the keeper with his hand,” he added.
“I don’t think we dealt with the situation leading up to that point very well but before Fabianski makes any contact whatsoever, the player knocks it past with his left hand.
“Realistically it should have been a free-kick to us, it wasn’t a clear goalscoring opportunity either – when you look at it with the replays it isn’t (a red card). Hopefully we will appeal it.”
Monk has seen his side earn plenty of plaudits but Swansea have still only won once on the road all season and he was not happy with their display at Upton Park.
“I just don’t think we ever reached the levels we have done this season,” he added.
“That is the first time I can say that, in all the games we have played. We did not make enough correct decisions. The only time we did that we scored the goal.
“We didn’t do that enough and really some of the defending, we gifted it to them on a plate to be honest. No complaints with the result, we didn’t deserve anything from the game.”
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE