West Ham United secured a vital 1-0 victory over Southampton on Boxing Day, but the match was overshadowed by an injury to goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
In a concerning incident during the first half, Fabianski collided with Southampton defender Nathan Wood while punching away a corner. The impact left the veteran goalkeeper requiring seven minutes of medical attention before being stretchered off the pitch.
Despite the initial worry, West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui confirmed that Fabianski was conscious and talking after the match. While the goalkeeper wore an oxygen mask as he left the field, Lopetegui stated that Fabianski did not require hospitalization and remained at St. Mary’s Stadium for the remainder of the match.
“He had one big knock around the head, around the neck and he was not very sure about his actions,” Lopetegui explained. “Fortunately, the news is he is talking, he is alert, he is conscious. I talk with him. The doctors say that he feels better and well. I am positive with him. He showed he more or less recovered his sense. I am not afraid. We feared but now he is better and it is a positive feeling because we were very worried.”
Prior to the injury, West Ham had started brightly, with Carlos Soler striking the crossbar early on. Southampton, however, responded well under new manager Ivan Juric, with striker Paul Onuachu posing a constant threat. Fabianski made a crucial save to deny Onuachu before the injury occurred.
Alphonse Areola replaced Fabianski in goal and made a crucial save to deny Onuachu again in first-half stoppage time. West Ham were briefly reduced to ten men when Guido Rodriguez received a red card for a late tackle on Kyle Walker-Peters, but after a VAR review, the referee downgraded the decision to a yellow card.
The breakthrough for West Ham came in the 59th minute when Jarrod Bowen poked home after Niclas Fullkrug flicked on Tomas Soucek’s header.
Lopetegui praised his team’s resilience and ability to overcome adversity to secure the three points.
“I have to see always the match to analyze better, but my first point of view is we were resilient and able to suffer as a team to achieve three important points in one contest with a lot of problems,” Lopetegui said.
While pleased with his team’s performance, Southampton manager Ivan Juric expressed frustration with the manner of West Ham’s winning goal, which followed a misplaced pass by Yuki Sugawara that led to a corner.
“We play good. We create a lot, find a way to be dangerous and I like lots of things but disappointed with the result,” Juric said. “We cannot concede this kind of goal because we give a corner too easy and you have to be focused on the game 90 minutes. Not just in moments. After that they are much more clinical. They are much more, like Italians say ‘b******s.’ Tougher, much tougher.”
The victory was crucial for West Ham, who continue their fight for survival in the Premier League. For Southampton, the defeat under their new manager will be a disappointment, despite their encouraging performance.
The match will be remembered for the concern surrounding Fabianski’s injury, but ultimately, West Ham emerged victorious, securing three vital points in aclosely contested match.
