Ben Johnson was all smiles after playing a big part in a big come-from-behind Premier League victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
West Ham United looked all at sea as they trudged off at half-time at Molineux, trailing to Pedro Sarabia’s penalty, but following changes to personnel and tactics at the break and during the second half, the Irons turned the game around to score a 2-1 win.
Johnson was influential in it, too, raiding up and down the right flank, first from full-back and later from wing-back after Jarrod Bowen’s injury saw David Moyes switch to a back three. With Emerson doing likewise from the left, West Ham were transformed, pushing a previously dominant Wolves deep into their own half.
Emerson had conceded the Wolves penalty and then had a goal disallowed for a foul, but later won a spot-kick for his own team, which Lucas Paquetá converted, before Johnson went close to putting West Ham in front when his volley was saved by José Sá.
The resurgent Hammers would not be denied, though, as another substitute, Aaron Cresswell, won a corner and James Ward-Prowse curled the flag kick over Sá and inside the far post for a sensational winning goal.
Even then, there was late drama as Johnson conceded a corner which was headed in by Max Kilman deep into added time, only for the goal to be disallowed following a VAR-instigated pitchside review by referee Tony Harrington.
West Ham’s impressive No2 is now hoping his impressive display may be enough to earn him a start in Thursday’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final first-leg tie at German side Bayer Leverkusen…
Ben, you’ve got a big smile on your face and rightly so as you were part of a really important win that looked very unlikely when we went in a goal down at half-time?
“The three subs who came on, including myself, changed the game as the intensity improved, and that’s just sometimes how football goes when one half is different to the other.
“I was just trying to run with the ball and beat players and create something and see what we could do and I felt we did that well and it always puts teams on the back foot and they give a bit you more time and they’re scared of you.
“My job is to play as well as I can. I just try and beat players, run past them and keep the ball and get my teammates involved. It’s important that we’ve got players who can beat players as they win football matches – you see it all the time. The subs who came on were brilliant from front to back.
“I enjoyed playing the second half and we finally got a good decision that went for us, which felt good!”
As you said, the second half was totally different to the first. Aside from the substitutions, what else changed to put us on top when previously we had struggled for possession and territory?
“We changed the formation a bit and went to a back-three, which gave me and Emerson licence to get in at the back post and see if we could get the ball and knock anything in, whether that’s a shot or a cross on goal for a chance. You could argue Emi’s goal could have stood.
“It gives us a lot more freedom in those positions when you get the full-backs forward, blocking the other team in, and it give momentum because you get the ball back when they clear it and you can sustain attacks, which is important because momentum is everything in the Premier League as you saw in the second half.
“When you’re a wing-back, you can get in there because you haven’t got to worry because you’ve got the centre-back behind you, and for my volley it dropped to me and I shot instinctively with my left and it could have gone in if it went a couple of yards either side of the goalkeeper. It’s something I want to work on and improve.”
You are part of a group of good friends in the squad that includes James Ward-Prowse, so you must have been delighted to see his corner swing into the net?
“Yeah, I was so happy for him, so pleased. He’s shown what he can do all season from set pieces, so to put one in from a corner was even sweeter. I was so pleased for him, and now the final whistle has blown we can all enjoy it!”
What were your emotions when you conceded a corner in the 99th minute, Max Kilman headed it in for what Wolves believed was an equaliser, then the goal was ruled out on a VAR review?
“We got away with it and we move on and we finally got a decision when in the last few weeks we haven’t, so it was nice to have got one and it be in the last minute, which made it even better.”
Lastly, you started our previous Europa League quarter-final at Lyon two years ago and we won that 3-0, so I can imagine you’d love to start again at Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday?
“Those are the games you want to play – you want to play in the Premier League and in the European competitions against the best teams in Europe. All I can do is focus on today and see what happens on Thursday when it comes. Of course I want to be in the team, so let’s see…”
