Nuno Espirito Santo spoke about a close fought defeat for West Ham United against Leeds United.
The Irons were 2-0 down in their FA Cup quarterfinal, fighting back through a late double blow from Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi. Extra time goals from Pablo and Valentin Castellanos were chalked off before Leeds landed a spot in the semifinal following a successful penalty shootout.
It is a painful loss for the team, but a big fixture awaits at the London Stadium on Friday evening. With a win over Wolves, Espirito Santo’s side shall jump above Tottenham out of the bottom three.
Espirito Santo reacts to FA Cup exit
“For the boys, it's sad, it's sad, it's sad for us, especially for our fans, the way they saw the second half, us reacting, chasing the game, creating the best chances, hitting balls in the post. I think we did enough to avoid the penalty shootout but today was not to be. In the previous round we came through to the penalty shootout, and we said that we were efficient, but today we were not so efficient.
*“But the way we reacted in the game itself, the way we chased the game, it's the proof that we don't give up and we have a big, big mission on our hands [in the **Premier League*].
“That's what is required for the job that we have to keep going until the end. Now it's time to recover. It's 120 minutes, it's tough. We'll try to recover our players and play the game on Friday.
“Again, London Stadium is going to be so important for us. The atmosphere that we created today, we have to create it for the game, for the matches moving forward. We need it, we need it, we need it. We need all the players. That's the proof. The third goalkeeper [Finlay Herrick] came in the game.
Looking ahead to Wolves
“We're going to need all the players, all the players and all the fans that can help us. There were good performances and there were not so good performances. It's always tough returning from an international break. It's always hard but, at the same time, it's a lesson that we learn for our future.
*“We are going to be ready for Wolves. Now it's the moment to recover the legs, clear our minds. It is sad, but it can only last this evening. Tomorrow, we have to get up and be ready for the fight.”*