No moment summed up a remarkable defensive performance from West Ham United better than when Tijjani Reijnders’ free-kick was tipped onto the bar by Mads Hermansen in the 78th minute, Konstantinos Mavropanos loitering on the line just to make sure.
Forget the equaliser – Mavropanos became the first Hammers defender in 86 games to score a Premier League goal when he powered Jarrod Bowen’s corner in off the underside of the bar – this was a central defensive performance for the ages.
Tony Gale, James Collins, Danny Gabbidon, Winston Reid, Kurt Zouma. Every single one, in their West Ham United prime, would have been extremely proud to add this to their collection.
Genuinely HEROIC! 💪
When was the last time you saw a defensive performance better than that?!
“One of the best centre-half displays I’ve seen this season,” Hammers icon Joe Cole raved after Konstantinos Mavropanos capped a faultless performance with his final, heroic block in the dying seconds [TNT Sports].
“He’s been immaculate.”
Nuno Espirito Santo knew that his charges would have to be at their most resilient, at their most concentrated to get anything off Manchester City. Nuno got that and more.
If Mavropanos was the Man of the Match – awarded the prize by Ally McCoist while receiving treatment for concussion after charging down a thunderous Erling Haaland volley – then Mads Hermansen was not far behind.
Dinos Mavropanos and Mads Hermansen outstanding for West Ham United
Is there a case to be made that not one but two West Ham players have just produced their best-ever performances for the London Stadium outfit? OK, the sample size is fairly small for Hermansen, this being only his eleventh outing since arriving from Leicester City.
But, just shy of a century, if Mavropanos has played a better, more complete game than this, well, answers on a postcard please.
That aforementioned Reijnders free-kick summed it up. Hermansen needed every inch of his frame to tip the Dutchman’s curling effort onto the bar. Had the goalkeeper not got there, Mavropanos would have.
“Hopefully he can get himself up and collect his Man of the Match award!” a disbelieving McCoist said after Nuno’s Greek colossus took a Haaland shot right into the face from point-blank range.
“The three centre halves [Mavropanos, Axel Disasi and Jean-Clair Todibo] have been absolutely terrific to a man!”
In the space of three second half minutes, from the 68th to the 71st, Mavropanos and Hermansen combined to deny Matheus Nunes a clear shot at goal. Mavropanos then got his sizeable body in the way of a Bernardo Silva effort before, moments later, expertly shepherding a teasing ball out behind Hermansen’s goal.
An entire game epitomised in just 180 nail-biting seconds.
Joe Cole stunned by Nuno Espirito Santo’s transformation
On the few occasions when City did manage to break through – Disasi was as solid as ever while Todibo produced a series of perfectly-timed interceptions on the right – Hermansen was there, be it sprawling saves like the one to deny Erling Haaland or through claiming a seemingly never-ending series of crosses.
A bag of nerves in the autumn. A pillar of calm authority now.
Finish this sentence!
Mavropanos' performance is the best by a West Ham defender since… ?
“They’ve defended resolutely, West Ham, defending Manchester City. Bernardo Silva and Rodri are looking up and there’s just no space,” Cole added during a draw which sees the Hammers leapfrog Nottingham Forest into 17th.
“If you would have said they could perform like this earlier in the season, you wouldn’t have believed it.
“The three centre-halves back been magnificent, they really have. Haaland hasn’t had a sniff. They look comfortable and there’s not many teams, with ten minutes to go against Manchester City, looking like that.”
“No matter how good a one v one defender you are, you have to move in tandem and they have done that so well tonight, everyone.”
Cole is right; ‘You wouldn’t have believed it’.
You certainly would not have envisaged Hermansen, dropped after only four games in September, standing as strong and sturdy as this under such unrelenting pressure.
Or, for that matter, the previously-maligned Dinos Mavropanos producing a central defensive performance for the ages, goal and all.
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