The Hammers huffed and puffed their way into the FA Cup fourth round with an extra-time victory over Queens Park Rangers at London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A 98th-minute header from new signing Taty Castellanos finally broke the Ranger's resistance after Richard Kone had forced an additional half-hour with a second-half equaliser that wiped-out Crysencio Summerville’s earlier opener
“This feels really nice,” smiled Nuno Espírito Santo after finally ending a 10-game win-less run stretching back to early November.
“It’s a victory that has been good for us, the boys and the fans. It was so important to win. I am happy, happy, happy!”
The Hammers head coach had made half-dozen changes from the side that had so crucially lost to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest five days earlier – a defeat that left wobbling West Ham a full seven points adrift of Premier League safety.
“Today was a good moment to rotate,” insisted Nuno. “We started well and were in control but although we were dominant, we were not creating very much.”
With Konstantinos Mavropanos having been stretchered away after sustaining a neck injury while attempting to convert Jarrod Bowen’s awkward in-swinging corner, the Hammers finally broke the deadlock with the final kick of the ten minutes added-on as first-half injury-time.
“It looked nasty and Dino’s neck is very sore but hopefully he will be okay,” continued Nuno after replacing the 40-times capped Greek international with new striker Pablo, who played his part in a free-flowing move that ended with Summerville drilling in a low, angled, 10-yarder beyond visiting ‘keeper Joe Walsh.
QPR fought back after the break and, having twice gone close, the Championship side – sitting 13 places below the Hammers in the league pyramid – equalised midway through the second period, when Kone sent a looping header over stand-in ‘keeper Mads Hermansen.
That Rangers leveller made it 17 sorry matches without a clean sheet for Nuno and, while neither team could then find the killer touch to settle the tie inside normal time, the Portuguese coach was finally able to end a seemingly eternal wait for a win eight minutes into extra-time.
Now, goal-scorer Summerville turned provider when he expertly outwitted Joe Dunne down the left-flank before sending over an inch-perfect cross for Castellanos to head home his first-goal in Claret and Blue following his £25million New Year move from Italian side, Lazio.
“I was very pleased with our performance in terms of our fight, desire and commitment,” concluded Nuno, who must now return his focus to more January recruitment, Premier League survival and a tricky trip back to former club Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
“This result will now change our whole week ahead. Today, we have shown that we can bounce back and everything will be better for everyone over these coming days.
“We are re-balancing the squad and still need to make some more signings but having two new players up front has already made a difference. They did very well. It’s a tricky window for everyone but hopefully we will get some more new players as soon as possible.”
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