Well, thank the lord West Ham United did not terminate Callum Wilson’s contract. Whatever happens between now and the close of the transfer window, that late winner at Tottenham Hotspur cements the striker a place in Hammers’ folklore.
It was a thriller against their arch rivals from the north which sparked the ‘Great Escape’ of 2007 into life at Upton Park.
Nineteen years on, could Callum Wilson’s scrambled, stoppage-time heroics be the moment when West Ham United launched their latest Houdini act?
Callum Wilson at the death!
But who was your West Ham Man of the Match and why?
Yes, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side rode their luck. But you make your own fortune, as they say. And former Hammer Matt Upson saw a West Ham performance full of belief, intensity, with iron-willed individuals spread all across the pitch. One deserving of the luck which came their way.
If any team needed a little break, it was this one.
West Ham even had Millwall icons speaking out in support following that contentious penalty call in the devastating home defeat by Nottingham Forest. In their very next Premier League outing, the whims of the VAR fell in their favour.
Matt Upson says Callum Wilson’s West Ham United winner was right to stand at Tottenham
Was there a handball? Was Wilson offside? Was Vicario fouled? Doubts were charging around Hammers minds when referee Jarred Gillett stood in the centre of the pitch with one hand on his ear.
“What a massive moment this could be in the West Ham survival quest!,” a relieved Upson said when Gillett signalled that Wilson’s 93rd minute tap-in would stand after all.
“There’s no foul here. Nothing whatsoever. I don’t think there’s anything for VAR to look at! [Konstantinos Mavropanos and Callum Wilson] are not fouling Vicario, he just absolutely slaps at that. Doesn’t get set, doesn’t deal with it.
“It drops in all the bodies and then it’s a lottery. What a scrappy goal, but [Nuno] won’t care.
“It was a performance and a result, both together. I know they are linked – if you play well, you tend to have more chance of winning – but this West Ham away performance had a bit about it. Energy, tackles, first to the ball in the first-half, and they really could have gone in better than 1-0 up [at the interval].
“They just had to soak up the pressure. It was always going to come. You thought Spurs were going to nick a winner and then to take it on a set-piece at the death… Brilliant away performance from West Ham.
“I have to say, they’ve deserved it. On balance, I’ve got no issue with them thinking three points might be right.”
Callum Wilson at the death!
But who was your West Ham Man of the Match and why?
Ollie Scarles escapes Spurs penalty shout in tense London derby
Just last week, Nuno indicated that Callum Wilson was free to leave West Ham having fallen behind new signings Taty Castellanos and Pablo in the pecking order. Some reports even suggested that Wilson would have his contract terminated.
Seasons can be defined on fine margins and tough decisions. Retaining Wilson – even if it was for just another few weeks – may be one of those we look back on as a turning point.
The Tottenham players wanted a penalty a few minutes before Wilson’s winner, as the visitors found themselves camped in front of Alphonse Areola’s net.
The ball brushed the outstretched arm of Ollie Scarles as debutant Conor Gallagher charged into the penalty area. Upson, again, backed VAR’s decision to leave well alone.
“The hand is in a natural position, trying to hold off [Gallagher]. It would be incredibly harsh,” argued Upson, who spent four years at Upton Park from 2007 to 2011.
“[Scarles] touches it at such close proximity. I think it’s natural enough because you are arm-to-arm with each other. You are trying to come across. I don’t see an issue with that.
“I think Nuno was getting that sinking feeling again with the old VAR check!”
There would be no last-gasp gut-punch this time. Just relief, a dose of belief, and maybe the start of something special.
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