David Moyes’ reaction to Pablo Fornals’ goal for West Ham on Monday against Liverpool which put them 2-1 up shows he knew the game was far from decided.
Unfortunately for the Hammers, he was right. The Reds ended up winning 3-2, which leaves the London outfit stuck in the relegation zone on just 24 points from 27 matches. However, despite the severity of the situation, there were plenty of positives Moyes could take from the clash at Anfield.
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One of those was Tomas Soucek.
The 24-year-old moved to the London Stadium on loan from Slavia Prague during the January transfer window, with a view to a permanent move if the spell goes well.
Against the Premier League leaders, the Czech Republic international impressed, winning five of his eight aerial duels and managing to make eight clearances as well. Unfortunately, he was forced off with an adductor/groin injury after just 47 minutes, but that still left him plenty of time to make his mark on the clash. The fact that the Irons were 1-1 at the time is telling about his display.
Don’t just take our word for it, though – Soucek received plenty of glowing endorsements following his display.
Here, we look at three of those rave reviews.
Sam Inkersole, West Ham’s correspondent for football.london
Sam Inkersole is a well-known West Ham correspondent, working for football.london. With the Hammers being his sole focus for the outlet, he is the man in the know.
Clearly, he was very impressed with the midfielder’s showing. He wrote as part of his post-match player ratings, per football.london:
“Started the game like a man on a mission, really put himself about. Won five aerial duels in the first half alone and was superb in the opening 45. Forced off after just two minutes of the second half in what was a massive blow for Moyes side. He was very, very good.”
With a 6ft 3in frame, Soucek is perfectly built for the rough and tumble of the Premier League.
Indeed, his departure was a blow for Moyes – he will be hoping that this issue does not keep him out for too long.
Roshane Thomas, West Ham’s correspondent for The Athletic
Writing for The Athletic, Roshane Thomas is another who is an expert on all things West Ham.
Following the clash at Anfield, he took part in a Q&A with supporters of the club. One fan mentioned that Soucek was a big loss following his removal from the field of play, and the journalist agreed with him. He replied, per The Athletic:
“He was our best player before he came off. Hopefully his injury isn’t serious.”
Slotting in to a defensive midfield role alongside Declan Rice, he provided solid protection for the back four. It is no coincidence that the Hammers effectively lost 2-1 without him on the pitch.
David Moyes, West Ham manager
The former Everton boss was speaking on the match in the aftermath of proceedings, and he gave his thoughts on Soucek’s injury. He explained:
“He was struggling at half-time. I thought he was fabulous in the first half. He was a big loss to us because, especially in the second half, we didn’t have an awful lot and any way of tightening up, really. It was a loss. We hope he’s going to be OK, but it looks like an adductor or a groin injury from over-stretching in the first half.”
His exit meant that Moyes was forced to shuffle his pack, with Mark Noble moving to a deeper role as Fornals, who replaced Soucek, played in the hole behind the striker.
The Czech was indeed fabulous and deserves the acclaim he has received.