West Ham 8-0 Macclesfield: Hammers thrash Macclesfield to reach fourth round

Grady Diangana scores his second goalImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Grady Diangana scored West Ham's seventh and eighth goals on his debut

West Ham put eight goals past League Two Macclesfield Town to earn their biggest win since 1983 and reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Macclesfield manager Mark Yates, whose side are bottom of the Football League, said the loss was "not what we needed".

The Hammers gave debuts to three academy graduates, including Grady Diangana who scored twice.

Robert Snodgrass scored in either half, his first goals for the club since joining in January 2017.

Michail Antonio struck his first goal since March while Ryan Fredericks hit a spectacular second-half strike.

"I'm bitterly disappointed with the goals we conceded," Yates said.

"It's not what we needed but that's where we are. You saw the gulf in class and you can see we are low in confidence."

Manager Manuel Pellegrini had made eight changes to the team that drew with Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday but their victory is their biggest since the Hammers beat Bury 10-0 in the League Cup 34 years ago.

Macclesfield - 24th in League Two - are without a win in 90 minutes this season with their previous cup victories coming on penalties.

The defeat is their biggest as a Football League club.

How the goals happened

  • Antonio opened the scoring in 29th minute by heading in Declan Rice's cross from close range.

  • Snodgrass scored his first three minutes later, tapping in on the goal line after Diangana's shot had been saved.

  • Lucas Perez volleyed in Aaron Cresswell's cross from the left in the 39th minute for his second goal for the Hammers.

  • Six minutes after half-time Fredericks hit the pick of the goals, driving a powerful shot into the far top corner from the right edge of the box.

  • Angelo Ogbonna converted a free header at a corner three minutes later.

  • Diangana made it seven in the 67th minute by finishing low past Kieran O'Hara after playing a one-two with Perez on the edge of the box.

  • The 20-year-old then combined with fellow debutante Joe Powell for the eighth, again sliding low beyond the goalkeeper.

The Academy of Football lives on?

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Grady Diangana, Joe Powell and Conor Coventry all made their West Ham debuts in the win

West Ham's famous academy has produced a number of star players including World Cup winners Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters and others such as Trevor Brooking, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand.

On Wednesday, it saw three more of its players progress to the first team - Diangana, Powell and Conor Coventry.

Winger Diangana was the only starter and was impressive from the opening minutes.

He made a confident start playing a one-two with Perez but hit the side-netting from a tight angle.

The Englishman could have opened his account in the build-up to Snodgrass' first strike but eventually got his first goals with two good finishes.

"I'm pleased for him because the only thing I demand from young players is when they get the opportunity to take the opportunity. He did really well," Pellegrini said.

"He's a young player and he must improve on a lot of things to be a top player, but he's working hard and doing well and if he continues with the personality he showed today I think he will improve a lot."

Coventry, the youngest of the trio at 18, came on at half-time while 19-year-old midfielder Powell appeared in the 62nd minute.

Powell's assist for the eighth goal was an excellent, defence-splitting pass from deep which put Diangana through one-on-one.

Image source, Twitter
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Declan Rice, who made his West Ham debut in 2017, was another academy graduate to play against Macclesfield

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