West Ham would have lost against Brighton on Saturday were it not for the interventions of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, according to Football.London journalist Tashan Deniran-Alleyne.
The Hammers earned themselves a 1-1 draw at the AMEX Stadium – a place where they have never won – and Deniran-Alleyne is of the opinion that they should be grateful to their Polish stopper for the point.
Writing in a piece for Football.London, he said: “To say the Hammers passed this exam with flying colours would be a stretch.
“If not for Lukasz Fabianski they probably would have lost.
“But there was enough about the performance – especially in the second half – that will have pleased Manuel Pellegrini.”
OPINION
Fabianski was named Hammer of the Year last season, and if the opening stages of this campaign are anything to go by, he could be in with a shout of winning it this term. Admittedly, conceding five goals on the opening day wasn’t an ideal way to start, but there will be a lot of teams who get beaten that badly by Manchester City this season, and in some respects, that match has to be regarded as a bit of a free hit. The Pole has already made seven saves this season, most of which came against Brighton yesterday, as per the Premier League. There was very little he could have done about the Seagulls’ goal either, and all things considered, he was a standout performer. No doubt, he will have to be in this kind of form a few more times this season, but he definitely has it in his locker when called upon.
