It was a night of firsts for West Ham as Manuel Pellegrini’s side eased past League Tow side Newport County 2-0 in the second round of the League Cup.
It was the first time the Hammers had defeated the Welsh side in the colour TV era of football, summer signing Pablo Fornals opened his scoring account for the east London side, and former English wonderkid Jack Wilshere scored his first goal for West Ham.
Heading into his second season with the Irons after leaving his boyhood club Arsenal in 2018, Wilshere’s time with West Ham had up-til this point been both disappointing and predictable.
The English midfielder, who Pellegrini compared to Italian icon Andrea Pirlo, via The Telegraph, managed just eight appearances in his debut season for the east London side as an ankle injury ruled the 27-year-old playmaker out for the majority of the campaign as numbers from Transfermarkt show.
Indeed, Wilshere has since returned to full fitness and has managed to retain his place in the starting XI, starting the opening two games of the season against Manchester City and Brighton, and this goal against Newport can serve as a big confidence boost for the midfielder.
A fluid motion that seemingly saw Wilshere play a one-two with the Newport defender before neatly finishing past the Exiles keeper, it was a fine goal for the former Arsenal man to score that displayed what the midfielder is capable of when given the freedom to attack and create.
With Norwich coming up next for the Hammers, starting Wilshere would be a wise move from Pellegrini with the midfielder on a high from scoring his first goal for the club, and this newfound good form could be a deciding factor in West Ham claiming three points against a newly-promoted side that have impressed early on in the Premier League.
