Manu Lanzini was thrilled with a point against what he described as a very strong Palace team.
We wrote earlier how happy we were to see him beginning to tick as the player we know he can be again when he arrived for Pablo Fornals at half time.
The Spaniard had not been at his best and the Argentine more than deserved his chance to replace him and start to show some of that exciting form which was almost a given before his terrible injury.
Lanzini – Still a massive talent
Tony Cottee commented that it often takes a long while to make it back from such a blow but it’s fair to say that in Manu’s case it has taken longer than most.
Now, however, he focused solely of producing the kind of football which will see him back as a permanent first team member.
And that could easily be against Chelsea on Monday evening as we look to continue our decent record against Lampard’s lot.
“I am very happy to play again,” he told West Ham TV. “I play like this. When I come into the pitch, I try to take the ball, to help the team and help my teammates. I try to do this and it’s good if I can help.
“I think we got a good point against a very strong team. Maybe we deserved three points, but it’s better than losing and we took a good point. We need to keep going like this and to be strong.”
Having made his longest appearance of the season, the Argentinian is hoping for another extended outing at Stamford Bridge – a ground where he scored a sensational goal in March 2016 – and to help his team continue their encouraging 2020/21 season.
“First, we need to rest, because it’s a long season, but now we’re focusing on the next game at Chelsea. It’s a very difficult game there at Stamford Bridge, but we need to keep going like this.
“A win would be the perfect Christmas present for everybody!”