Ezra Mayers was one of the standout performers for West Ham United as they found a way past QPR in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side may not have answered all too many questions with the manner of their performance but West Ham beat QPR 2-1 to progress into the FA Cup fourth-round.
Who was West Ham’s MOTM against QPR and why?! 👀
While fans could be forgiven for not getting too carried away just yet, a victory is all that matters and hopefully raises at least some confidence for next weekend’s trip to Tottenham.
Mayers was making his first start for the Hammers and expressed how special it was for him.
Ezra Mayers praises West Ham fans
The 18-year-old, generally a centre-back by trade, operated in a more advanced role against the Championship side.
The teenager hardly put a foot wrong on his FA Cup debut, so that has to be seen as a major positive.
Mayers is highly rated at West Ham and it was promising to see him adapt well.
Whether West Ham are relegated or not, it’s clear that the team needs a rebuild. Young talents such as Mayers, as well as several other academy players, could come in very handy there.
How much confidence does the win over QPR give you heading into Spurs? 👀
Oh, how sweet it would be to start to turn things around against them 😍
Speaking to West Ham’s official YouTube account, the teenager said: “Yeah it’s definitely different [starting a game as opposed to coming off the bench].
“Walking out of the tunnel for the first time, through all the bubbles and the fans singing, it’s something very special.
“You don’t get that coming on as a sub. But yeah, happy with my performance in my first game, yeah.”
Ezra Mayers fires message to Tottenham ahead of next week’s derby
It remains to be seen if Mayers keeps his place in the side ahead of next week’s clash against Tottenham.
Even beyond West Ham’s rather dire situation in the Premier League this season, the scale of the rivalry with Spurs always makes it a huge game.
As such, Nuno might be tempted to turn to his more experienced players. That would hardly be a shocking conclusion to come to.
Still, having had a taste of first team football this season, Mayers is hoping he’ll be involved in what is hopefully a season-changing West Ham win.
“Yeah, of course [he’d like to play],” he said.
“It’s always a tasty one against Spurs. You always want to win that one, so yeah, if I’m involved, I’ll be excited and ready to give my all.”
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