West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini praised his side for not giving up as they beat Huddersfield Town 4-3 on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers won in dramatic fashion thanks to goals from Mark Noble, Angelo Ogbonna and a brace from Javier Hernandez. They came from 3-1 down to scored three goals in 16 minutes, as they secured a huge three points.
Speaking after the game, Pellegrini expressed his delight at his side’s fighting character and their win at London Stadium. As quoted on the club’s official website he said: “We showed a lot of character, this was a match for the fans.
“Maybe when everyone was disappointed when we were losing 3-1, the biggest merit of the team was we never gave up and continued working.”
The win sees West Ham remain ninth in the Premier League, one point off Watford and two points off Wolves. However they both have a game in hand over the Hammers, having been in FA Cup action on Saturday.
Despite the victory, Pellegrini added: “The complete team did not play well in the first 45 minutes. We didn’t play with the pace that we need, we didn’t do the movements we needed to do, and the playmakers that had to put good balls for the attackers.”
Substitute Javier Hernandez was the match winner at London Stadium, coming off the bench to score the equaliser and the winner in the 91st minute. It was a short but sweet cameo from Chicharito, as he took his goal tally to three in his last four league games.
Speaking about Hernandez, Pellegrini said: “Javier was playing well recently, but he had a little pressure of not scoring, so it was good for him to come from the bench, and he played very well and decided the game with two goals.”
Pellegrini also praised Huddersfield, explaining how he had to prepare for their visit. He said: “We spoke before the game that this was a team that plays well, maybe they don’t score many goals but they are always dangerous from set pieces.
“They scored their first two from set pieces and after that a great goal put them two in front.”
West Ham have two weeks before their next game, when they host Everton at London Stadium on 30 March. The Hammers then face a London derby on 8 April, when they play Chelsea.
Source : 90min