The warrior spirit of West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek is too much for nervy Burnley
- West Ham beat Burnley 2-1 in dramatic fashion after two late goals at Turf Moor
- Tomas Soucek scored in the 91st minute after a Dara O’Shea own goal just before
- CHRIS SUTTON: Everton players must keep their heads – It’s All Kicking Off
With Burnley wobbling, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus launched one final cross into the box. Given the Clarets’ brittle confidence, it was little surprise they conceded seconds later.
The identity of the goalscorer wasn’t too shocking, either. Tomas Soucek met the ball sweetly on the volley as West Ham snatched a wholly undeserved three points. The Czech is just in that kind of form, as he scored in a fourth consecutive game for club and country and his ninth overall this season.
Not known for being especially prolific, the midfielder has nonetheless scored late West Ham winners against Nottingham Forest and Burnley, plus two goals to help the Czech Republic to Euro 2024, within a fortnight.
Soucek has a warrior quality about him — at Turf Moor he sported a big plaster on his forehead to protect the wounds inflicted when Poland’s Jan Bednarek accidentally booted him in the face during the international break.
And the Hammers needed that spirit on an afternoon where they sorely lacked the potency of injured duo Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio up top.
West Ham secured a dramatic late comeback win against Burnley at Turf Moor, winning 2-1 after a late own goal from Dara O’Shea and an injury time strike from Tomas Soucek
O’Shea (left) turned into his own net after a dangerous cross from Mohammed Kudus
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Kudus and Edson Alvarez fought jet-lag after playing for Ghana and Mexico respectively in midweek, with the former only coming to life with his two assists late on. A few others, without such an excuse, also performed well below their best.
‘At half-time, the boys weren’t happy and the manager wasn’t happy,’ said Soucek. ‘We were playing very slowly, then we came out and within a few minutes we’d conceded. There was a moment when Burnley had a corner and I just said to the others, “Come on guys, we need to do better”. We managed that and, because of our spirit and belief, we won all three points.
‘It’s always difficult after an international break because everyone has been somewhere else in the world. But we needed to win this game.’
Equally pleasing for David Moyes was the way 19-year-old forward Divin Mubama pressured Dara O’Shea into the own goal that cancelled out Jay Rodriguez’s earlier penalty.
‘Divin has a mentality and an attitude as good as any top player. He was so determined and works incredibly hard for the team,’ said Moyes.
Burnley have thrown away 14 points from winning positions this season and this latest setback will sting after they bossed the game for 87 minutes.
Vincent Kompany’s side remain bottom and they must beat Sheffield United on Saturday and Everton on December 16 or risk being cut adrift.
MATCH FACTS
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Trafford 6; Vitinho 6, O’Shea 6, Beyer 6, Taylor 6; Gudmundsson 7 (Cullen 85min), Berge 6.5, Brownhill 6.5, KOLEOSHO 7.5 (Zaroury 81); Amdouni 6 (Ramsey 72, 6), Rodriguez 6.5.
Scorer: Rodriguez 49 (pen).
Booked: Beyer.
Manager: Vincent Kompany 6.
WEST HAM UTD (4-2-3-1): Areola 6; Coufal 5, Zouma 6, Aguerd 5, Emerson 6; Alvarez 5 (Benrahma 63, 6), Soucek 6.5; Kudus 7, Ward-Prowse 6, Paqueta 5; Ings 5 (Mubama 63, 6).
Scorers: O’Shea 87 (og), Soucek 90+1.
Booked: Alvarez, Aguerd, Coufal.
Manager: David Moyes 5.
Referee: Sam Barrott 6. Attendance: 21,319.
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