Forward Mohammed Kudus insists West Ham United are making good strides towards reaching their full potential, following Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 24-year-old struck his third goal of the 2024/25 season, and first since October, to help seal a point for the Hammers at London Stadium, heading past Bart Verbruggen after Jarrod Bowen’s initial effort had been parried by the visiting stopper.
While Mats Wieffer had earlier broken the deadlock for the Seagulls, both teams came ultimately unstuck in their search for a winner, with Edson Álvarez being denied late on before Łukasz Fabiański came to the Irons’ rescue at the other end.
While there was an element of a feeling of what might have been among the home crowd at full-time, the result marked a third game unbeaten in a row, and Kudus believes he and his teammates should focus on the positives going into Christmas.
“I think we’re getting close to our best, step-by-step, and the team gave their best today,” our No14 said. “The boys showed good energy and resilience to come back after going down, and although we wanted the win, we’ll take the point and move forward.
“It feels good to have been able to contribute to the result. As an attacker, it’s always good to score, and it will really help my confidence. It would’ve been nice to have helped to get all three points, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“We’re together as a group, and I think we’re getting there. We have a lot of quality, and I think there is a lot that we can achieve. It’s about completing the puzzle together, and hopefully we can do better again in the next game.”
After notching his goal, Kudus treated the West Ham supporters to his trademark celebration, but he explained there was extra significance associated with the stool he sat on alongside Crysencio Summerville at pitchside.
The Ghana international also discussed how he is working hard to improve in all areas of the pitch, and he is looking forward to trying to aid West Ham’s push for a sixth win of the season on the road at Southampton on Boxing Day.
“It’s a stool from Ghana,” Kudus added. “I wanted to do something different with my celebration, that shows off my roots and where I come from.
“Where I’m from, the Chiefs and the Kings sit on stools that showcase where they’re from, so I thought it would be nice to show a little example of where I’m from. It’s a beautiful stool.
“It was good to score, and the goal came from where I’m most natural, on the right. It’s all about the team though, and I’ll keep learning and improving to adapt to wherever I’m asked to play.
“We’ll go again in a few days’ time, and hopefully I can score again and help the team.”
