Moylan scored three, then West Ham rallied from 3-0 down to draw

Jack Moylan's hat-trick, one goal a penalty, gave Cardiff a commanding start, but West Ham came back from it at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Jack Moylan scored three of Cardiff's goals inside the first 39 minutes: one from open play after 11, a penalty at 37, and a third, set up by Joel Bagan, two minutes later. That left the home side with a lead that West Ham spent the rest of the match chasing. The game finished 3-3, and the way it got there is the story.

Cardiff had 45% of the ball, against a usual home share of 60%, and took seven shots where they normally take 16.3. Those seven shots carried an expected-goals total of 1.18, a rough measure of how good a chance is based on where and how it was taken, and that sits below their home average of 1.8. Three goals from that little is finishing well ahead of the chances themselves, and Moylan supplied most of it, with all three of his shots on target going in.

West Ham had 55% of the ball, close to their away average of 58.2, so that part of the match was ordinary. Their shooting was not. They took 18 shots against a usual 15.5, and their expected-goals total of 2.64 is nearly double their away norm of 1.42 and well above the 1.38 a side typically reaches in this league. Ten of those shots were on target, nine came from inside the box, and N. Trott made seven saves, so these were genuine chances rather than efforts from distance.

The comeback began at 58, when Divine Mukasa scored from a pass by Jarrod Bowen. Arne Engels made it 3-2 at 65 after a pass from Joel Piroe, and Maximilian Kilman, who had already been booked in the first half, scored the equaliser at 82 from another Bowen pass. West Ham made three substitutions at half-time, before any of those goals, and the attacking side of their play was carried by the names above.

Bowen was involved in the goals as an assister twice, and he created four chances in all, which makes him the most direct source of West Ham's threat in the figures available for this match. He did not score, but his passing was the link in each of the three goals that came after the change in the scoreline. Kilman's booking, along with those of Soungoutou Magassa and Joël Veltman, meant West Ham picked up three yellow cards, while Cardiff were not cautioned once. Neither side saw a red card.

Six goals in one match is double the three a game usually produces in this league. Cardiff have averaged 1.5 goals at home and conceded 1.5, and this time they scored three and let in three. West Ham usually score 2.3 on their travels and concede 1.3, so they too went above their own norm at both ends. For both sides, the result shows how far a match can drift from what a team normally does.

Cardiff are 18th in the table after 13 games, with three wins, five draws, five defeats and 14 points. West Ham are eighth with 22 points from six wins, four draws and three defeats.

Player of the matchJ. Bowen2 assists8.6

J. Moylan3 goals8.2

A. Engels1 goal8.1

D. Mukasa1 goal8.1