David Moyes deserves huge credit for starting Emerson Palmieri over Aaron Cresswell in the West Ham vs Fiorentina Europa Conference League final last night.
West Ham beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the Europa Conference League final out in Prague, and David Moyes will now forever be remembered as a Hammers legend.
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Arguably the biggest call of the night was Moyes deciding to start Emerson Palmieri over Aaron Cresswell at left-back for the Conference League final.
The 33-year-old was widely expected to be given the nod, but Moyes opted for the 28-year-old Italian instead.
And what a call that looks like now, with Emerson becoming the first ever player to win all five of UEFA’s sanctioned tournaments – The Champions League, Europa League, the Super Cup, The Euros and now the Europa Conference League…
David Moyes’ incredibly bold decision to start £13m West Ham ace vs Fiorentina now looks like masterstroke
Signed for £13 million from Chelsea in the summer, Emerson has proven to be quite the addition to Moyes’s ranks.
After a slow start to life at the London Stadium, he really began to come into his own after the World Cup break. However, the Italian lost his place in the team to Cresswell recently, so his inclusion in Moyes’s starting XI last night came as somewhat of a shock to the fans.
Moyes absolutely nailed it though.
Emerson was superb for the Hammers. Yes, he was beaten in the air – an action that led to Fiorentina’s equaliser, but that was his only mistake.
The 28-year-old was superb defensively for West Ham vs Fiorentina and he was very good going forward as well.
He showed great pace and strength down the left-hand flank – something that the Hammers don’t really have when Cresswell plays.
I expect Emerson to go from strength to strength for West Ham over the next few years now. Well done Moysie for giving him the opportunity to show his true quality last night.
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