In the end, it was a goal from a man who wasn't even supposed to start that dragged West Ham United into the FA Cup fifth round. But for 94 minutes at a raucous Pirelli Stadium, it felt like the Premier League side were staring down the barrel of one of those infamous cup shocks.
Burton Albion, battling at the wrong end of League One, gave everything. West Ham, with a team that looked like it had been picked from a hat, gave... well, just enough. Crysencio Summerville's deflected strike in the fifth minute of extra time was the difference, but only after Freddie Potts' red card left the Hammers clinging on with ten men for the final 20 minutes.
Nuno Espírito Santo made ten changes from the side that had started against Manchester City in midweek. Out went the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen; in came a mix of kids, fringe players and a couple of January arrivals. Callum Wilson led the line, Mohamadou Kanté and Keiber Lamadrid were handed rare starts in midfield, and Ollie Scarles got back into the starting 11. It was a classic "respect the competition but rotate heavily" selection – one that very nearly backfired spectacularly.
For long periods, Burton were the better side. They pressed high, won duels in midfield, and caused chaos with long throws and set-pieces. West Ham looked disjointed, sluggish, and – whisper it – a bit scared. Alphonse Areola was largely a spectator in the first half, while at the other end Bradley Collins barely had a save to make.
The game was crying out for a moment of quality. It finally arrived five minutes into extra time. Summerville, introduced as a substitute on 82 minutes along with Taty Castellanos, picked the ball up on the left touchline. He cut inside, drifted past two challenges, and unleashed a low drive that took a wicked deflection off a Burton defender. The ball looped agonisingly over Collins and nestled in the far corner. Pirelli fell silent. The away end erupted.
""It was a moment of magic when we needed it." "West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo
"It was a moment of magic when we needed it," Nuno said after the extra time victory. "Crysencio has that in his locker."
Just six minutes later, substitute Freddie Potts – on for just 18 minutes – produced a horror challenge on Burton's Julian Larsson. It was late, it was high, and referee Lewis Smith, after a brief consultation, brandished red. Potts trudged off, head down. West Ham were down to ten.
Burton threw everything at the Hammers. Long balls, crosses, shots from distance. Kyran Lofthouse went close, Kegs Chauke rattled the side-netting, and there was one heart-stopping moment when a scramble in the West Ham box saw the ball deflect just wide. But the Hammers defended like their lives depended on it. Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos were colossal. Areola made one brilliant save from Kain Adom.
Summerville had another chance in the second half of extra time when he forced a turn over and beat a defender only strike it just wide. West Ham spent the final five minutest defending until the final whistle blew. 1-0, Areola finall gets a clean sheet. The Hammers squeak into the next round of the FA Cup.