With one of his best performances of the season helping West Ham United to a much-needed victory over Arsenal, forward Mohammed Kudus was pleased to help his side get back to winning ways.
After four games without a Premier League success, the Hammers were in need of a much-needed confidence boost – and they achieved it in style as courtesy of Jarrod Bowen’s 50th Premier League goal in Claret and Blue.
Making his 21st appearance of the season, the Ghanaian was an important presence throughout the contest at Emirates Stadium, blending his power, electric pace, technique and intelligence to torment the Gunners’ defenders all afternoon.
Myles Lewis-Skelly became the latest victim of his relentless attacking pressure after 73 minutes when he dispossessed the left-back on the halfway line and was hauled down as he attempted to wriggle free. Referee Craig Pawson initially showed a yellow card but was sent to the monitor to have another look, and on review, it was deemed Lewis-Skelly’s denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity was worthy of a red card.
This pivotal moment in north London shifted momentum and allowed West Ham to ultimately secure a win they were good value for.
And Kudus believes it provided the ideal confidence boost for the Hammers ahead of the start of an important run of games, as we look to boost our 16th-place standing in the top-flight ranks with 12 games of 2024/25 to go.
“It was a very much-needed three points,” said Kudus. “It's been a difficult season, but it's one of the wins that we'll never forget about.
“It was a tough game, but we were compact, very focused, and full of effort in getting the win, so I'm glad we got the three points.
“The job in defence was really tough. We played a very tough team, and we knew they were going to attack a lot, so we had to make sure the eleven players were focused on the task at hand, and everyone was excellent in doing their own duties.
“The message [at half-time] was to keep the same structure and try to get the second goal so that we could kill the game. If not, it was important that we didn't give away any goals, and I'm glad that it worked out.
“I was just pressing to get the ball [off Lewis-Skelly]. I just took the ball off him, and there was a chance to score, but then he fouled me and was given a red card. I think if I hadn't been stopped, I would have been heading directly one-on-one with their goalkeeper.
“It’s a very big boost in confidence, but still we have a lot of games to go. It’s definitely a good boost ahead of our next game, and the next focus is on three points now [against Leicester City].”
