Issa Diop’s brilliant equaliser against AFC Wimbledon – which became the focal point for an eventual 3-1 victory – demonstrated perfectly the highs and lows of the game.
For on Saturday the young Frenchman sadly conceded a debut day own goal which finished us off against Arsenal.
He was much more composed after last night’s game as he celebrated his impact on a game which for long periods had become hard work.
He said: “I received the ball and I shot, so I’m happy for the team. It wasn’t my best goal, as I think I scored a better one for Toulouse with a volley!
“It was very hard for us to score a goal because they defended very well. We tried and we tried and we tried and thankfully we scored.”
And he added:“It’s good for our confidence because we lost our first three games, so now we’re focused on Saturday and Wolverhampton and I hope we win this game.
“I hope I can score again, but I prefer it when we win and I don’t score. Actually, I hope I score and we win, as that’s better!”
“I hope we can continue winning our games and we can win this competition!”
It was a huge and much needed confidence booster for the fans , Pelligrini and the players .
Snodgrass impressed , Anderson looked sharp and chicarito was pulling the Wimbledon defense all over the place . Yarmolenko needs more playing time . Rice was in control and when Antonio came on he made an immediate impact . Overall ( apart from Perez ) we looked good . Hope it bodes well for the Wolves game .
I am delighted for the young man . He looks like footballer and can only get better as he gets more confident . Could turn out the by of the season . Perfect reply to a shaky , but very unlucky , debut on Saturday .
Yes bubbles . We are slowly improving . But it is worth remembering that this match was a very bananer skin game . Playing lower league opponents is always a tricky buisness and the Premiership is littered with surprises and shock defeats . I won’t say the ref helped becuase when Wimbledon went down to ten men it was like playing against eleven defenders in a solid brick wall . The game against Wolves however will be different in respect of defensive tactics . I fully expect West Ham to be very much on the offensive .
We must go for all three points win or lose . Rice must keep his place for sure . I think Wolves will have Thier hands full on Saturday if we can reproduce the attitude we showed against AFC Wimbledon .
COYHAMMERS
fabianski zab balbuena diop cress
sanchez rice
anderson yarmolenko snoddy
arnie subs: adrian, fredericks, oggy, masuaku, wilshire, antonio, holland