Konstantinos Mavropanos had praise for Alphonse Areola after he helped West Ham United to a 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth on Thursday.
The Hammers goalkeeper made crucial saves from Antoine Semenyo - on more than one occasion - and Illia Zabarnyi to ensure James Ward Prowse's second half penalty extended their unbeaten Premier League run to a sixth game.
The Greece defender felt the team's overall performance lacked energy, but says they will head to Manchester United on Sunday fully focused and ready for an important away clash.
“I think it was a tough game today, but we got a point and that was the least we could do”, said Mavropanos.
“It was a disappointing start to the game, but there was plenty of time to turn it around. In the first half we didn’t play as well as we should have, but I think we had some positive moments. I think we should have done better.
“We didn’t have the energy that we should have had in our attack, and when we got forward we didn’t create enough opportunities. It was the energy we missed today.”
West Ham had goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to thank for a string of crucial first-half stops to keep the Irons within touching distance of their opponents – and Mavropanos was full of praise for his No1.
“He [Areola] is a top goalkeeper and he has been in every game. I don’t have many things to say but he’s at the top level.
“Today, they [Bournemouth] showed they are a good team and a difficult opponent to play against. Credit to them.”
And on a personal note, the Greece defender is eager to continue his run of starts in all competitions, while insisting that the team will do everything to get back to winning ways at Old Trafford.
“That’s my goal, to keep playing as many games as possible and give everything I have for the team," he added. "Hopefully, that will help us get some points and good results.
“They [Manchester United] are another tough opponent, and playing away from home is always difficult. We have to think about them and go there to give our all.”
