Joe Cole felt there was one moment during West Ham United’s valiant 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City which epitomised their recent turnaround. A moment provided by Mateus Fernandes.
Now, this was not really a night for Nuno Espirito Santo’s most creative midfielder to strut his usually-swaggering stuff.
West Ham United scrambled their way out of the relegation zone with a performance of fight rather than finesse. This was a night for pitbulls and powerdrills rather than paintbrushes and pliés.
Fittingly, Konstantinos Mavropanos was Man of the Match; ten clearances, four blocks, and a very rare goal to boot. Mads Hermansen, Jean-Clair Todibo and Axel Disasi weren’t too far behind.
Genuinely HEROIC! 💪
When was the last time you saw a defensive performance better than that?!
But Mateus Fernandes never shies away from the dirty work. The Portugal U21 captain is West Ham’s most frequent tackler, after all.
And there was one sprawling challenge, right on the edge of the home penalty area, which Joe Cole felt epitomised what is threatening to turn into a repeat of 2007’s ‘Great Escape’.
Joe Cole singles out unsung hero Mateus Fernandes as West Ham United hold Manchester City
With Phil Foden haring towards the home goal, extra time looming and Soungoutou Magassa chasing shadows, Fernandes slid in and hooked the ball away.
Get it wrong, by a split second or even an inch, and it may have resulted in, if not a very late penalty, then a certainly free-kick in an extremely dangerous position.
That Fernandes not only won the ball but attempted such a brave manoeuvre in a high-pressure situation, Cole told TNT Sports, makes him a posterboy for the remarkable resilience Nuno has instilled in a previously limp, languid outfit.
“Superb,” Cole beamed. “That sums up West Ham in the last ten games. Everything about it. The determination… brilliant.
“There were a lot of eyebrows raised when he came through the door,” the academy graduate said earlier in proceedings, Fernandes more than justifying the £40 million fee spent to liberate him from Southampton.
“But, speaking to the people at the club, he’s been brilliant.”
Who was West Ham’s MOTM vs Man City and why?!
Dinos Mavropanos heroic as Hammers escape the drop zone
Hammers News do not tend to give out perfect scores lightly but, if not today, then when? Dinos Mavropanos more than deserves his 10/10 rating.
Fernandes earned himself an eight on a night when this most all-action of midfielders again showed that there is so much more to his game than breaking lines and box-to-box bursts.
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