West Ham United progressed into the third round of the Carabao Cup after a 2-0 victory at Rodney Parade over Newport County.
The League Two giant-killing specialists did give the Hammers a run for their money in a very competitive first 45 minutes.
Newport almost took the lead in the first half when the highlighted dangerman Padraig Amond had a glorious chance, but shot straight at Roberto.
It wasn’t until the second half that West Ham made their superior quality show after taking the lead through Jack Wilshere.
The Englishmen capitalised on a mistake by Kyle Howkins right before the break to calmly finish what was his first goal for the Hammers.
Another West Ham player opened their account for the club last night. Spanish midfielder Pablo Fornals netted his first goal thanks to some neat play by Felipe Anderson.
West Ham kept the Exiles at bay and were able to progress into the next round, matching the round they reached last season and now hoping to go one better this year.
It was a very successful trip to South Wales for the Hammers, and they will be watching closely tonight to see who they get in the next round. For now, here are three players who I thought were impressive on the night:
Albian Ajeti
Making his Hammers debut last night, there was a lot to like about Ajeti’s performance. He tried to get involved in the first half and was full of running throughout the 90 minutes.
He did have a good couple of opportunities in the second half, but was not able to get off the mark as Wilshere and Fornals did.
Ajeti might not be able to get a game ahead of Sebastien Haller at this moment in time, but did look promising.
The two chances he had were good ones but you wouldn’t have said that either of them were truly clear cut. It might take some time to adjust to English football, but for a 22-year-old he does look like he has potential.
Carlos Sanchez
Sanchez has had his critics over the last few years, but might have finally shown last night what he can do.
He may still dwell on the ball for a bit too long, even against a side at League Two level. He was, though, a calming presence in the midfield and handled the pressure that was put on him by the Exiles.
Sanchez will never get massive plaudits for the work he does for the side but if he can break up the play better and improve his transition, it will give players like Wilshere and Fornals more freedom to do what they do best.
Felipe Anderson
He only featured because Michail Antonio had to come off due to an injury.
Anderson was a bit slow when he came on but as time went on we saw the Anderson that we saw at several points last season. His dribbling and speed gave Newport constant headaches.
Anderson played a major role in the second goal, as he did on Saturday against Watford. It was Anderson’s low cross which Fornals connected with to give West Ham that little bit of breathing space.
Anderson will be giving another full-back in Max Aarons nightmares when West Ham take on Norwich on Saturday at the London Stadium.
