Nottingham Forest evidently weren’t reading the script: Their admirable point won at Manchester City took the gloss off the night but West Ham have now caught ‘Forest and are just one point behind Tottenham. The relegation battle is wide open with everything to play for ahead of the next nine games.
Crysencio Summerville’s superb goal may have won him the man of the match award, but West Ham’s captain Jarrod Bowen deserves enormous credit for the chasing, tackling and winning the ball to lay on the assist for Summerville’s winner.
Bowen was tireless throughout and hopefully answered those critics calling for him to be dropped. Still running at the 100 minute mark, West Ham’s hard working skipper could have grabbed a goal on another night but surely laid to rest any talk of him carrying an injury: Either that or he really is a superhero to put in a shift like that whilst injured.
Holding off Fulham’s best efforts for ten minutes of added time – even the officials, it seems, were doing their best to thwart Nuno’s men – means that those three points could be truly season defining. The recent cave – ins and capitulations late on were forgotten as finally West Ham stood firm and defended for their lives.
Bowen, speaking after the game claimed it was the QPR FA Cup win that changed their season: Last night’s game has given the Hammers renewed momentum after the Liverpool fiasco and has the ‘great escape 2.0‘ firmly back on track. There’s ten days now to sit and look at that Premier League table which looks a whole lot better than it did six weeks ago.
I’m glad Bowen pointed to the QPR game. For a long time we’ve struggled in the FA Cup and while it wasn’t pretty, it was a team performance and the foundation for a much improved team spirit, energy and moral…
…because Paqueta wasn’t involved.
I hope we turn up on Monday for the Brentford game as I’m taking my mate and my daughter to her first game. It needs to entertain if we’re to get her hooked to a lifetime of struggle! 🙂
I wonder what odds the super computers are predicting now?
Also, NES did not switch to 5 at the back but added players in midfield!! Another managerial correction to past tactics. There is hope when you see team and manager + coaches always pushing and improving.
However, all the teams in the mix for relegation are capable of avoiding it. This is going to be tough but they are doing absolutely everything they can – now some rest I hope.👏👏
Hats off to NES for starting 4-2-4 and then switching to 4-3-3 at precisely the right moment. Fernandes had an atypical game, chasing the ball and committing fouls, I think he was really being stretched to the max as part of 2 in midfield. Switching to 3 in midfield to match Fulham’s 3, may have saved the game for WHU, with Magassa playing his part in that. Hope he stays at the club, come what may.
Think NES won that game tactically which is such a help to the team and players.
The lads looked knackered (apart from Hermansen, Disasi, Todibo,…). Hopefully England manager does not need to run the rule over Bowen and has decided to take him – now let him rest. He came alive midway through the 2nd half though and fought till the end; don’t know how they do it. Great team spirit.
Spuds v Forest will be interesting in a couple of weeks time and will be a touching cloth game for those two