Mohammed Kudus picked an opportune moment to notch his first Premier League goal on Sunday.
With West Ham United trailing Newcastle United 2-1 – having earlier led – and with just one minute of normal time left on the clock, Kudus was picked out by Vladimír Coufal 20 yards from goal.
The No14’s first touch teed up a shooting opportunity which he took with aplomb, drilling a left-footed effort low into Nick Pope’s net.
The goal got the rapturous reception it deserved from the 60,000 Hammers in attendance and Kudus was thrilled to contribute to another positive result for his side.
“It feels very good to score that goal, of course,” he explained. “Most importantly it made a difference for the team, which was us getting a point.
“Even though we wanted the three points, I was happy to score my first [Premier League] goal and it was important that we got a point out of it.”
Kudus was cheered on at London Stadium by Ghanaian pop star Stonebwoy and the former Ajax forward was delighted to be able to put on a show for the special guest in east London.
“Stonebwoy actually said I would score two goals and I scored one of them so he brought the luck to the stadium today!” he continued.
“It was great to celebrate with our amazing fans. When we were down 2-1 and I was on the bench we could still feel the support and the energy from the fans, so thank you to them for that.
“I think it uplifted the players’ energy a lot. It was a great atmosphere today, everyone gave their best so we take the point we gained from it.”
Kudus now has three goals in just eight appearances since his summer move from Amsterdam and he has wasted little time in settling into his new surroundings.
However, he says he is only just getting started and is looking forward to contributing with regularity.
“We are not satisfied [with the draw] and we aim even higher,” he continued. “We wanted three points but we’ll settle for this, take the point and then focus on the next game after the break.
“Newcastle are a very good side but we go into every game with the same mentality and the same approach. We wanted three points, we couldn’t get them, but it was good to get the draw.
“I feel there is a lot under to come from me. Definitely the team, the coaches, everybody around me have helped me a lot to settle in and it feels like a family already.
“The fans are amazing as well. Credit to everybody around the team for helping me settle well, but I’m still learning and I feel there is more for me to give.”
