OPINION
If there was ever a player who was considered a scapegoat at West Ham United, it is defender Angelo Ogbonna.
Whatever the 30-year-old has done recently, the fans have been quick to jump on him and slam him for his performance, but to be honest, they have been right in doing so – in a nutshell, Ogbonna has been rather woeful recently.
However, that was hardly the case on Monday night in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, in fact, you would have hardly recognised Ogbonna due to the fact he was playing so well.
The £70,000-a-week [Spotrac] player was simply sublime in the centre of the defence alongside Issa Diop and he looked like was completely transformed – all in all, he has turned a huge corner since the 3-0 loss to Wolves.
He hardly put foot wrong for the entirety of the evening and it was a really welcome return to form for Ogbonna, and fans will have their fingers crossed that he can continue to maintain it.
One thing is for sure though, Fabian Balbuena will be sweating a little bit after such an assured display from the defender, as he looked rather undroppable at the London Stadium on Monday night.
Considering that Ogbonna was up against one of the most fearsome attacks in the Premier League, it was surprising that he suddenly increased his game when facing one of the favourites for the title in the shape of Liverpool.
Supporters will no doubt be asking why he could not have done this a lot earlier, especially in the two defeats prior to this well-earned draw.
However, Ogbonna really kept the threat of Liverpool at bay and it is something that will stand him in very good stead for the remainder of the season.