Czech defensive midfielder Tomáš Souček has claimed that there were still plenty of positives for West Ham to take after a disappointing second-half collapse against Manchester United.
The Hammers looked to be in the driving seat before the break after a finely worked set piece resulted in the £18 million-rated centre-back heading home in a trademark goal for David Moyes’ side.
The Irons were unlucky not to bolster their lead after Sebastien Haller slipped when clean through on goal close to the stroke of half time – with that missed opportunity merely being the pick of the bunch in terms of flashpoints of brilliance from the Hammers.
Pablo Fornals was unlucky to find a clean break and shot met only by the side netting, whilst Jarrod Bowen had a goal placed firmly past United’s Dean Henderson, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. It was firmly a game of two contrasting halves for Moyes’ men.
However, Souček took plenty of positive reflections away from the game as he netted his fifth goal for the Hammers:
“We are disappointed because I think we should win because the first half was very good from us and we created many chances and we should have scored a second goal and made it 2-0, but in the second half, they deserved some points and they won,” said the midfielder.
“I think we played really well [in the first half].
“When I compared it with the last game against Aston Villa, we played much worse than today but we took three points, while today we took zero points, so it’s a bad feeling for us.
“But it is also good for the next game for our confidence and spirit that we showed we can beat a team like Manchester United, so I hope that this game will give us much more confidence on the pitch.”
The midfield stalwart was also delighted with the boost provided by the 2000 fans welcomed back into the London Stadium:
“They were incredible from the start, from the warm-up and when we went to go to the pitch out of the tunnel it was nice.
“It was only 2,000 supporters but it was incredible for us. I had my family here as well, so it was nice for me and for everyone and I hope the fans will increase in the next games.
“It seemed more like real football than the last nine months and I hope very quickly we can take steps to get many more fans at the stadium and we will get to fill the stadium a few times.”
Read West Ham Verdict
Souček’s positive mindset is a credit to him and his team – though he is equally right to feel frustrated.
West Ham had an especially-dominant first half, and better finishing and a general control over games will be vital if points are to not slip away in the manner they did against the Red Devils.
