After keeping a second clean sheet at Anfield, Slaven Bilic had nothing but praise for Darren Randolph
Speaking after the 0-0 stalemate with Liverpool away at Anfield, West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said his side’s defensive efforts had earned the FA Cup fourth round replay.
The draw means both sides will do battle again under the lights at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 9 February.
Reflecting on the hard-fought result, Bilic said: “Overall, I am happy with the result and I congratulate my guys. Drawing at Anfield is tough; it is also tough to keep a clean sheet an Anfield.
“They had a few moments, we had a few moments. From my point of view there were a few moments when we were missed the final ball to put us in a great position.”
Standout players for the Hammers included goalkeeper Darren Randolph who made a string of fine saves, including a fantastic triple save to keep his side in the tie.
Winston Reid, captain in Mark Noble’s absence, put in a typically dominant and courageous performance at the heart of the defence.
Bilic continued: “Second half, yes they were better. They could run more; they were better on second balls and were starting to be a bit tired.
“Nobody wants to play a replay because of the schedule, but we can live with that. It’s much worse for them. We didn’t deserve more than a replay tonight, but we also deserved it because we defended really well. We were dangerous at times but I would like us to be more dangerous more of the time.”
As a result of the replay, the Hammers trip to the St Mary’s Stadium to face Southampton has been brought forward to Saturday 6 February, kick off is 5.30pm.
The draw means both sides will do battle again under the lights at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 9 February.
Reflecting on the hard-fought result, Bilic said: “Overall, I am happy with the result and I congratulate my guys. Drawing at Anfield is tough; it is also tough to keep a clean sheet an Anfield.
“They had a few moments, we had a few moments. From my point of view there were a few moments when we were missed the final ball to put us in a great position.”
Standout players for the Hammers included goalkeeper Darren Randolph who made a string of fine saves, including a fantastic triple save to keep his side in the tie.
Winston Reid, captain in Mark Noble’s absence, put in a typically dominant and courageous performance at the heart of the defence.
Bilic continued: “Second half, yes they were better. They could run more; they were better on second balls and were starting to be a bit tired.
“Nobody wants to play a replay because of the schedule, but we can live with that. It’s much worse for them. We didn’t deserve more than a replay tonight, but we also deserved it because we defended really well. We were dangerous at times but I would like us to be more dangerous more of the time.”
As a result of the replay, the Hammers trip to the St Mary’s Stadium to face Southampton has been brought forward to Saturday 6 February, kick off is 5.30pm.