There will not be many happier than Joe Hart as Mads Hermansen blossoms into a key player in West Ham United’s latest survival bid, much to Manchester City and Erling Haaland’s frustration.
The Hammers may not have leapfrogged their relegation rivals over the weekend – it is very much a case of ‘as you were’ as Tottenham and Nottingham Forest also claimed draws – but Nuno Espirito Santo’s resilient, supremely-organised outfit might have ended the title race as a contest.
An imperious, gladiatorial Konstantinos Mavropanos was West Ham’s standout performer during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City, but the equally inspired Mads Hermansen was not far behind.
Mads Hermansen has been West Ham’s BEST PLAYER under Nuno
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Mads Hermansen warms up before the Premier League match between West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Former West Ham United goalkeeper Joe Hart, who represented both clubs alongside Tottenham during a lengthy Premier League career, watched on as Hermansen denied Erling Haaland with an ‘incredible’ reaction stop in the second half.
Joe Hart watched Mads Hermansen deny Erling Haaland in West Ham United draw
Hart came in for plenty of scrutiny during his own career, particularly following some high-profile errors which signalled his rapid decline from Man City’s number one. He will be delighted, then, to see Hermansen silence his critics.
“[Nuno] can be really pleased with his team. I think the way his team are performing at the moment is a real, true reflection of what he’s been like in the Premier League,” Hart said of the former Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Spurs boss on BBC’s Match of the Day.
West Ham United's Mads Hermansen during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester City
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
“Look, you are going to need your goalkeeper to play well to get a result against Man City. Hermansen had a few really good moments.
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“Haaland, you expect him to score, but that’s an excellent save. But in front of him, they were absolutely colossal through the middle.”
As redemption arcs go, you will not find one more dramatic or more unexpected than this during the 2025/26 campaign. Pulled out of the firing line after just four games during a nightmare start to his Hammers career. Now, not only the first choice again, but a goalkeeper pulling off heroic, potentially season-defining moments week after week.
Carlos Tevez famously scored his long-awaited first West Ham goal in the spring, thus igniting their ‘Great Escape’ under Alan Curbishly. Hermansen’s similarly-belated emergence as a genuine game-changer is, in conjunction with Crysencio Summerville’s form and Axel Disasi’s arrival, threatening to have a similar impact.
Ashley Williams hails Axel Disasi, Jean-Clair Todibo and Mateus Fernandes
Ashley Williams, a centre-half who played nearly 250 top-flight games for Everton and Swansea City, felt that Mateus Fernandes and Jean-Clair Todibo also deserved some time in the spotlight on a day when West Ham defended resolutely to a man.
Fernandes made a ‘superb’ sliding challenge on Phil Foden just as he appeared to be winding up at the edge of the box. Todibo, meanwhile, was faultless throughout.
“Phenomenal. Fernandes has been impressing me all season. What a tackle that is when you are trying to stay in the league!” said Williams. “They played with this back three and you can see how close they are; they are all working together. They are in the right positions.
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Mavropanos' performance is the best by a West Ham defender since… ?
West Ham United's Konstantinos Mavropanos celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London Stadium on March 14, 2026 in London, United Kingdom.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
“Todibo, this is proper centre-back defending. And this is Haaland we are talking about, by the way!”
“Mavropanos, take one in the face if you’ve got to, because that is what’s required at this stage of the season,” added the former Wales international, referring to the time Mavropanos blocked a ferocious Haaland volley from point-blank range.
“Brilliant defending. I was so impressed with them defensively. They dug in and were resilient.
“Mavropanos was in the middle of that back three. I thought he communicated well, he organised the two centre-backs alongside him and, by the way, he scored an amazing goal as well [to cancel out Bernardo Silva in the first-half]. I was really impressed with him.
“Disasi has been a great signing, Todibo played well… as a team, they are fighting for each other and you can see the life in them. That is a massive point against Manchester City.”
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