Midfielder Andy Irving admitted feeling a number of mixed emotions after making his Premier League debut in West Ham United’s disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to London rivals Chelsea.
The Scotsman’s 72nd-minute introduction - as a replacement for Lucas Paquetá - represented a landmark moment in his footballing career, as he came on for his first competitive appearance for the Hammers, and first in the English top-flight.
Such a feat marked a remarkable achievement for the 24-year-old Heart of Midlothian academy product, who signed for West Ham little over a year ago before spending last term on loan back at former club Austria Klagenfurt.
After scoring in pre-season against Dagenham & Redbridge, and turning down offers away from east London, Irving was delighted to make his mark at the top level for the Claret and Blue Army, though was understandably frustrated about the team’s performance as a Nicolas Jackson brace and a Cole Palmer strike settled the scoreline.
“It feels amazing to have made my debut,” he said. “Since I signed for the Club the biggest thing for me was playing in the Premier League for West Ham, so I’m really happy that I’ve been able to do that and that my hard work has paid off.
“I had a good pre-season, and my aim was to be in and around it when we got to the end of the transfer window. I had the choice to maybe go somewhere else, but my conversations with Julen Lopetegui and the other coaches were really positive.
“I’ve put in a lot of work, and I wanted to stay and show what I can do. It was good to get on against Chelsea; it’s just a shame about the result on the day because it was disappointing for everyone.”
Having spent over £1.5bn on transfers since their current owners came in two years ago, Chelsea’s squad is packed full of quality, but Irving acknowledged that the manner of the defeat was particularly disheartening.
That’s three league defeats from three at home for Julen Lopetegui’s charges in 2024/25 so far, and they will be desperate to turn things around in their next two top-tier clashes away at Brentford and against Ipswich Town at London Stadium, after a tough assignment away at Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Irving added: “Chelsea are a good team, with a lot of strengths and quality. Their goals were really good, at key moments, and we weren’t able to get ourselves going or keep ourselves in the game which was frustrating.
“But the ideas the coaches are trying to implement are really good, and we’re doing our best to make it work. It just takes time, and I’m sure we can definitely turn things around into a more positive situation.
“Every game in the Premier League is tough, and we know we’re going to face challenges, but the quality of our squad will shine through. Liverpool is a tough place to go, but we believe we can turn it around at Anfield. Hopefully I can be involved and make that happen again.”
