West Ham fans, players and managers no longer have the FA Cup dream to distract from the main event: It is Premier League survival or else in the remaining weeks of the season. As the dust settles and the disappointment fades, there are positives to be pulled from yesterdays two hour marathon, as we wrote last night.
It is easy to let the manner of that shootout detract from some of the fighting spirit that the cobbled-together team showed in the second half. As soon as Nuno swapped out his midfield duo of Potts and Magassa, the balance of the side shifted and the Hammers went on to mount a stirring fightback.
One of the greatest surprises was Adama Traore. The musclebound winger earned an unofficial West Ham man of the match nomination (from me anyway) with his powering runs causing panic in a Leeds defence who couldn’t keep up.
Traore providing the doubters (like me) wrong and looking good after reuniting with West Ham’s manager
He set up a chance for Bowen after a lung-busting run that would have been a memorable climax to the afternoon bar another fine save by Lucas Perri.
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Traore seems to have rediscovered decent form under Nuno
He has won over many fans, I’d suggest, after a lukewarm reception following his transfer in January . And the Spanish International has clearly ‘bonded’ with West Ham football club: His latest remarks, carried by espn.co.uk , make it clear he’s both ‘talking the talk and walking the walk’ as a committed West Ham player:
“We showed great fighting spirit and fought until the end. It’s unfortunate that we lost on penalties but we’ll try to improve and be better in our next game.
We need to move on because this game is now already in the past. I believe we can stay up and the feeling would’ve been better if it was a win, but there were positives.”
And having another goal-threatening, fast breaking winger alongside Bowen and Summerville – especially in view of the latter’s fitness situation – makes Nuno’s insistence on bringing Adama Traore to the club suddenly seem a decent shout after all.
First West Ham goal against former club Wolves on Friday? You wouldn’t bet against it.