West Ham United’s demoralizing defeat at the hands of Liverpool may look from the outside as a failure. But in all honesty, West Ham has been renewed and in a big way.
There was absolutely no way that West Ham would even come close to beating Liverpool right? And there was no way that they would be leading for some time either… right? If that was your thought before the match, you weren’t alone.
For many, the biggest unknown coming into this match wasn’t whether the Hammers would lose, it was by how much. Not to mention, that in many ways after the first Liverpool goal went in on an impressive Trent Alexander-Arnold cross many (including myself) thought “here we go again.”
But wouldn’t you know it… West Ham’s starting XI actually showed heart and determination and even a little bit of moxie. Not even a minute later Issa Diop was heading in the equalizer and the match was back on. You could stop the article here and that would have been more heart than seen in previous weeks, but it went on.
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The Hammers actually played like they wanted to win and it looked as if they were, for the most part, playing for their lives. Remember when we all thought there was no way the Hammers would get a lead on the Reds? It’s ok, I do… and just like that Pablo Fornals was saluting the away fans as the net still shook from his half volley.
The rest of the match is history and as many not associated with the club would tell you, West Ham is in serious trouble. But what they don’t know is what anyone close to the tell you, and that is that this was the first time in months that the squad showed any kind of spirit or hope.
As disheartening as it was seeing Lukasz Fabianski let in a few howlers, he quickly allowed us to forgive him by apologizing to the away fans after the match. There was a sense of unity not just from the traveling away supporters but from everyone on or off the pitch.
As you look at the table and notice the Hammers still in the relegation zone and with plenty of tough challenges ahead, don’t fret. This renewed passion from the club is like an overdosed hospital patient that just clang back to life and is on the road to recovery.
This new-found hope must surely come into play this weekend at home against Southampton and it must prevail the Hammers even further down the road. Happy days are not yet upon us but the road to recovery has been paved and now it’s time to keep moving on it.