West Ham United book their place in the FA Cup quarter finals last night, as they squeezed past fellow Premier League side Brentford on penalties. The Hammers took the lead twice but the Bee’s made them work for their win, taking them all the way in the tie.
Nuno Espirito Santo made seven changes to his side prior to the game but the changes did not seem to impact West Ham’s rhythm, with them starting as the stronger side. The group as a whole, has been growing closer and closer under Nuno, as the run in get’s closer.
Iron’s captain, Jarrod Bowen who netted twice in the game, said the team has the character to beat anyone when talking to the club’s official website:
“It’s a brilliant feeling,” Bowen said. “We knew how important this game was, coming into it tonight, with the chance to progress to the quarter-finals on the line.
“It was never going to be an easy game, and the way they play is really difficult to play against. They’re very direct, with a lot of long throw-ins into the box and set-pieces, so we had to be really on it.
“But I thought we had a bit of everything, I thought our goals were good and we could probably have scored more. It’s taken extra-time again, but we’ve shown that this group’s got resilience and character to keep going, and the penalties were brilliant.
“We’ve got a big opportunity in this competition now. We know there’s still a long way to go, and Leeds are a really good side who will bring a lot of fans, but it’s a home tie for us, and if we can do what we did tonight, with a similar atmosphere, we know we could do something special.”
Back to the Premier League for West Ham
West Ham now return to Premier League action, with the club hosting Manchester City on Saturday night. The opponents are in a title race but dropped points against the Hammers relegation rivals, Nottingham Forest, last weekend.
Bowen acknowledged the task at hand, but also knows if the fan’s continue to support the way they have done, the team can force a result:
“I’ve always said the atmosphere starts with us as players, and that it’s up to us to put on a show. We have to be the ones to get them off their seats, and certaintly since the QPR game in January, I think we’ve done that.
“I think we’ve put on better performances, and we’re really come together as a Club. The atmosphere we have really does help us on the pitch, especially if we’re winning or we need to hang in. The fans have been amazing for us, and I know they’ll continue what they’ve been doing until the end of the season.
“Next up it’s City, and it’s going to be a really difficult game. It’s important we rest up now, because 120 minutes is never easy for anyone, but it’s another game at home that we’ll go into with plenty of confidence.
“We’ve got an opportunity to win the game and get out of the relegation zone, which is obviously on our minds. Of course it’s not going to be easy, but we’ll go out there and play our game, and see what happens.”
