BURTON ALBION 0-1 WEST HAM: The Hammers needed extra time to get past a relegation-threatened League One side, but Crysencio Summerville ensured they avoided penalties
Crysencio Summerville of West Ham United celebrates
Crysencio Summerville provided the one piece of class for West Ham(Image: Getty Images)
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When Crysencio Summerville’s deflected strike dipped under the crossbar, Nuno Espirito Santo barely flinched.
For 83 minutes of this forgettable occasion, it looked as though the West Ham United manager was indifferent to progression in the grand, old competition. And then he sent on Summerville, whose invention and enthusiasm was in stark contrast to the efforts of all who had started ahead of him.
After Summerville’s hit early in extra-time, Freddie Potts tried to make the progression more difficult by getting himself sent off for a challenge on Julian Larsson but West Ham saw out the victory with little fuss. And perhaps because Lewis Smith’s decision to dismiss Potts was a little harsh, West Ham just about deserved the win.
But in truth, this was a win that, at times, the Premier League side did not seem too bothered about. Perhaps they were not enamoured with the conditions. The Pirelli Stadium might be a relatively modern arena but the playing surface was strictly old school.
It was not a contest that was easy on the eye, which made the performance of Sulyman Krubally even more noteworthy. In what was, essentially, a midfield scrap, the 17-year-old looked like an accomplished operator. It was limited evidence against a scratch West Ham team but Krubally is clearly a player with a big future ahead of him.
He was the best player on the park in a quite dire first half, which was not helped by numerous, needless stoppages. There were more stoppages than shots, which was no surprise.
It was a good half an hour before anyone realised Callum Wilson was out there, his tame shot giving Brad Collins his first piece of work in the Burton goal. Collins then provided one of the few talking points of the opening period, presenting West Ham with a corner by holding on to the ball for eight seconds.
Referee Lewis Smith clearly knew he was on TV, although how many people were still watching by the time Smith signalled the interval is anyone’s guess. In a strictly Adama Traore way, Adama Traore tried to liven things up, beating umpteen men before failing to deliver any sort of end product.
But at least Traore was actively trying to make things happen and from a corner earned by the wide man, Konstantinos Mavropanos sent a good headed chance straight at Collins. For a few moments, proceedings were in danger of feeling something remotely like a cup tie but tedium soon regained control, West Ham getting the upper hand only through their higher fitness level.
West Ham United's Portuguese head coach Nuno Espírito Santo
Nuno Espírito Santo has bigger fish to fry(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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But the lack of quality was numbing and as evidence in support of the argument that all level ties should go straight to penalties, it was irrefutable. At least the extra half-hour was slightly more entertaining and after Summerville’s hit and Potts’ red card, there was a bit of a Burton siege and some late handbags that roused home support.
But West Ham were relatively untroubled and the indifferent-looking Nuno now has a fifth round tie to distract him from the important business of staying in the Premier League. And for Burton and manager Gary Bowyer, it is back to a fight to stay in League One.
And if they show this sort of commitment from now until the end of the season, they have got a chance.
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