West Ham United secured their place in the FA Cup quarter finals last night, as they beat Brentford on penalties. The Hammers have other thing’s on their mind but that did not stop them putting on a strong performance in the competition, even if they did have to go the distance for the win.
Nuno Espirito Santo made a number of changes to the side but it didn’t stop the West Ham momentum as the team continued to show more direction and desire than they did for most of 2025.
One of the changes was a return to the XI for goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. The shot stopper has been out of the team in favour of Mads Hermansen but returned last night and loved every minute of it. The 33-year-old also couldn’t resist a joke about his new past time, DJing in local pubs.
“What a long night!” Areola told the club’s official website. “Three games in the FA Cup and three times playing until the last minute, but it was a great night, great atmosphere, and the fans were unbelievable tonight.
“We had a good moment, and I think it helped tonight as well. We [were] close to winning it [in normal and extra time], and we have details that obviously we can erase, but tonight we have to enjoy it.
“They’re already playing my DJ set! All the things that I do outside football help me as well to stay focused and to just keep my head fresh and give everything.
“The team is the most important, but DJing keeps that positivity and helps me too.”
West Ham’s spot kick power
In total, 11 penalties were taken in this game. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen scored one in the 90 minutes, as did Brentford’s Igor Thiago. In the shootout there was nine taken, the Hammers scoring all five whilst Dango Ouattara missed his for the opposition.
Areola did not have that much to do, with his teammates smashing all the spot kicks home, but he did credit them with the trust and belief they have in him:
“Rui [Barbosa] was with me, and we were chatting, but there’s a positive attitude amongst the goalkeepers, and we worked together on the penalties just before the game, so that’s the secret.
“We’ve seen him (Ouattara) chipping the ball in a different game, and tonight was the night for me. But credit to the guys that took the penalties and to the team, as they were unbelievable as well.
“It’s nice to be involved. Even when you don’t play, you try to stay involved, and it’s a team sport. As I said, credit to the guys because we’re in a great moment.
“I think that we’re putting more and more pressure on the other teams. We want to get out of this and we have to keep that dynamic. It’s always good to keep competing in this competition. There’s something to win. It’s been tough this season, but there’s something to win at the end of it.
“Obviously, the objective is to get out of that relegation zone in the league. We’re still on the run in the cup and want to try to win something again.”
