Goalscorer Emerson hailed the Claret and Blue Army for roaring West Ham United back into Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Aston Villa.
The Irons fell behind within eight minutes at Villa Park, where Unai Emery’s UEFA Champions League hopefuls started fast and initially looked like blowing their opponents away on a stormy afternoon in the West Midlands.
But, with relentless backing from the 3,000-strong travelling support in the Doug Ellis Stand, West Ham regrouped, levelled through Emerson’s superb second-half header and could have won the game late on.
“We did very well, especially in the second half,” the No33 told West Ham TV. “We created a lot of chances and I think in the end we can even win the game. But in the end, we drew, but we take this point and we move on.
“It's not easy to play here. We did very well, so we need just to keep this mentality, the focus for the next games.
“We suffered a bit in the first ten to 15 minutes. And after we were consistent. Afterwards, we controlled the game, and I think we played better with the ball. Even without the ball, we pressed very well. In the second half, we created a lot of chances.
“Our supporters are always special, and we can always feel them. They helped us a lot for 90 minutes today, and they were unbelievable. They fought with us for every ball, and we’re happy because we gave them a good performance. Hopefully we can keep that going in the weeks ahead.”
The weeks ahead will see Graham Potter’s troops travel to Chelsea and Arsenal either side of hosting Brentford. The fixture list may look daunting, but with Potter’s clear philosophy already showing in the way West Ham have played since taking over as Head Coach, Emerson believes there are reasons to think the Hammers can achieve positive results from those matches.
“I think you can see the work we’ve been doing here,” he observed. “It's about the coaches, not just the Head Coach, but the staff as well. Everyone’s doing very well.”
West Ham’s proud performance came despite six senior players, including four forwards, being unavailable, and was highlighted by the Man of the Match performance put in by stand-in striker Lucas Paquetá.
Emerson was hugely impressed by his good friend’s tireless display, as well as that of fellow frontman Mohammed Kudus.
“We need just to keep it going,” he continued. “We’re without Jarrod, Niclas [Füllkrug] and Mick [Antonio], and we've got Lucas and Mo playing up front. Both guys did well today, fighting for every ball, and Lucas is showing he can play anywhere on the pitch.
“Of course, we miss the other guys, but Lucas and Mo are unbelievable with and without the ball, and they put in a big shift.”
For Emerson, there was also the happiness of scoring his second goal of the season, and the first header of his career!
“I think I had two chances today,” he recalled, correctly. “With the first one, I think I lost a bit of time [deciding whether to go] with the header or with my feet [and it was saved by Emiliano Martínez], but in the second half, I went with the header and of course it was nice to score. I think it was my first headed goal, so I’m happy with that!”
