West Ham have been drawn against League One side Oxford United in the third round of the League Cup.
The Hammers eased past Newport County as goals from Jack Wilshere and Pablo Fornals secured a 2-0 win for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, whereas Oxford eliminated West Ham’s biggest rivals, Millwall, on penalties 4-2 following a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes.
Although West Ham supporters would have overwhelmingly preferred a fixture against their hated east London rivals, a game that has not happened since 2012 and a match that had only seen seven instalments this century, fans will be pleased to be drawn against lower league opposition again.
With Pellegrini having previous experience of winning the League Cup with Manchester City, something the Chilean manager achieved twice during his time with the Cityzens, there is a reason to believe that the Hammers could be a surprise underdog to go far in the competition this season.
Indeed, the Hammers making it past Newport, a side that last season knocked out both Leicester City and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, is a testament to Pellegrini’s commitment to bringing silverware to east London and taking West Ham to the next level.
Many a supporter were worried before the game against the Welsh side that the League Two team would act as the typical stumbling block for West Ham that would see them crash out of the cup competition early, but instead, the east London club turned up and put in a good performance as well as keeping a clean sheet, their first of the season.
Oxford could still serve as this stumbling block, though, but with spirits high after the win against Newport and Pellegrini having the squad depth to take a quality squad to challenge the League One team, West Ham should be feeling confident heading into this match in September.
