Edson Álvarez is hoping that Monday night’s important Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers can be the catalyst for a strong run of festive form for both himself and the whole West Ham United team.
The Mexican midfielder completed 88 minutes of the 2-1 triumph under the lights at London Stadium, that saw Tomáš Souček and skipper Jarrod Bowen notch the decisive goals either side of Matt Doherty’s leveller.
Due to a serious hamstring injury sustained while competing for his country at the Copa América in the summer, Álvarez missed the whole of the Hammers’ pre-season schedule, and had to wait until the latter stages of the late-August win over Crystal Palace for his return to match action.
Two red cards since - away at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and at Nottingham Forest in the league - have somewhat highlighted his struggle to reach his peak sharpness so far this campaign, but after playing a key role en route to three big points against Wolves, he is confident he is back on track.
“I had a very bad injury over the summer - the first real big injury of my career,” Álvarez said. “I’ve had to fight a lot, try to keep my focus and concentrate on positive things.
“I know myself and the things I can control, and I have kept belief in myself. I’m gradually finding my rhythm again, I’m feeling good, and it’s just nice to be able to help the team to a win again.
“Being in this sort of position isn’t something I’m too familiar with, so I’m learning a lot. As a team we’ve not been where we want to be for a lot of this season, but we always play to win, and Monday was particularly special.
“We just need to back it up now. We have 18 points now and there is still everything to play for. We all need to keep improving, but this result was important and we’ve got a lot of games coming up now where we’ll be hoping for more wins.”
On an emotional evening in east London, West Ham’s players and staff dedicated their victory to teammate Michail Antonio, who was involved in a serious car accident at the weekend and is currently recovering in hospital.
Álvarez echoed the thoughts of the likes of boss Julen Lopetegui and captain Bowen, who paid tribute to the Irons’ No9 before and after the fixture, while he also described how special it was to speak to Antonio on a video call in the lead up to kick-off.
“It’s been a difficult few days for everyone,” said 27-year-old Álvarez, whose appearance against Wolves was his 55th in Claret and Blue. “We all love Mick, and he’s a very important character both in the dressing room and out on the pitch.
“It was special to get the victory for him, for his family and for the fans. We were able to speak to him, which gave us a boost and a bit of extra motivation, and hopefully now we can go on and back the three points up next time out.”
