One West Ham United player equalled a Premier League record on a joyous afternoon at the London Stadium, Nuno Espirito Santo masterminding an invaluable 3-2 victory over Burnley.
What a difference six days, and two wins, can make.
As recently as a fortnight ago, Nuno was facing serious questions at West Ham with his team selections bordering on the bizarre. Suddenly, as Burnley went the same way as Newcastle, the fans who felt that Graham Potter’s replacement had ‘lost the plot’ are now seeing the 51-year-old’s vast experience and expert game-management come to the fore at last.
Freddie Potts justified Nuno’s faith against Newcastle, exceptional on his first Premier League start. Mateus Fernandes has been ‘sensational’ since returning to the starting XI.
The Tomas Soucek – Andy Irving midfield which were left chasing shadows at Elland Road feels like a thing of the past.
Speaking of Soucek, West Ham’s new-found supersub is embracing his new role as Nuno Espirito Santo’s go-to game-changer. For the second game in a row, the 30-year-old Czech captain entered the fray and scored a decisive goal.
That back-post tap-in at Burnley not only laid the foundations for three huge points, it also saw him equal a Premier League record which has stood since May 2007.
West Ham United hero Tomas Soucek equals Premier League record vs Burnley
There was a moment when the West Ham icon must have wondered if this day would ever come.
Tomas Soucek was hoping to equal Patrik Berger’s tally of 38 Premier League goals. The most ever scored by a Czech footballer in the competition. But as Potter considered bringing an end to his time in East London, a place in the history books threatened to slip out of Soucek’s reach.
He had another reason to celebrate, then, when he pounced on a rare Martin Dubravka blunder to take his tally to 38. The former Slavia Prague captain can go out in front of the ex-Liverpool, Portsmouth and Aston Villa ace when West Ham travel to AFC Bournemouth at the international break.
“[Overtaking Berger] is certainly a topic of discussion,” Soucek said over the summer.
“Every time I score, I receive messages reminding me that I am getting closer to that record. Whether I surpass Berger or not, I am already extremely proud of what I have achieved. I’m curious to see how far I can go.
“Having just celebrated my 30th birthday, I look forward to what lies ahead.”
Surely Tomas Soucek can be called a modern West Ham legend now. Very few players across the whole of the 21st Century have been at the heart of so many successes.
Nuno Espirito Santo hails Soucek, Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson
Nuno was ‘delighted’ to see his substitutes shine, too. Kyle Walker-Peters also hit the target off the bench, reacting first as Dubravka fumbled another Soucek effort. The critics of Nuno’s team selection have certainly gone a little quiet now.
“Callum and Tomas, they have this knowledge inside the box to occupy the right spaces. I’m delighted [to see both of them find the net],” Nuno said. “Callum, our striker, needs to score. His confidence is growing.
“It’s a good day for us. A very good day.”
“It was Tomas and Kyle [as well as Wilson] who won us the game. And that shows that we’re going to need everybody,” the Portuguese adds. “This unity, this feeling that we are slowly building among ourselves.
“I think we can see some improvements in our boys. This is what we’ve been focused on individually, but we cannot [get carried away].
“There were moments, especially in the beginning of the game, that I think we didn’t start well. We let Burnley have the ball, so it’s hard to adjust. We can see it once again.
“It’s a positive to react to the goal the way we did it, immediately with offensive actions, creating chances and scoring, but it’s something that we have to look at as a team. It’s not always going to be possible to react, so we have to try and change that situation.
“But overall, we’re delighted for the boys.”
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