Speaking to the Official Matchday Programme, Thilo Kehrer believes he gave his finest West Ham showing in a crucial win at the end of last season...
It is against the biggest names that a player will dream of giving his biggest performance, and Thilo Kehrer believes this to be the case in his West Ham United career so far.
At home to Manchester United, arguably the world’s most globally recognisable team, Kehrer put in a showing that not only he could take personal pride in, but one that played a pivotal role in keeping the Hammers in the Premier League last season.
“My best performance, I would say, was the home game against Manchester United near the end of last season,” the German reflected. “Saïd Benrahma scored for us and we all but saved ourselves from relegation with that win.
“It was a very special game for me; a very emotional one and I felt like I played really well that day.
“It’s special when you are under pressure and you perform well and you deliver. That day, I think a lot of things came together for us and I think we were on point. I feel like, as a team, that was our best game across the whole season.”
MAY MADNESS
The Red Devils’ visit to London Stadium in early May came during a mixed period for the Irons.
While David Moyes’ side had reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, with a two-legged tie against AZ Alkmaar to come later in the month, a trio of consecutive league defeats had the Hammers nervously looking over their shoulders at the Premier League drop zone.
A mid-week loss to eventual champions Manchester City had been further compounded by a wave of illness in the squad and, while those affected players would return in time to face Manchester United, the physical exertion of a long season was catching up with the squad.
“You’re definitely starting to feel a bit tired by that point of the season,” Kehrer admitted. “We’d been up to Manchester City that week too, and a few of the lads had been ill, so it was a tough time.
“We’d been working so hard as a team and, in the games, your mindset it already set in terms of the job that needs to be done. Everyone has their responsibilities on the pitch so there isn’t really time to think about being tired or what stage of the season it is. The mindset is so important.”
Kehrer’s versatility made the 27-year-old a valuable addition to the defensive line that in the summer, and he stepped into the right-back role to face Manchester United on that sunny, early-May afternoon.
Central to his responsibilities on the pitch was halting the visitors’ tricky, pacey wide forwards.
“I was playing right-back which I think is a bit self-explanatory in terms of what was required of me. As a defender, you always want to keep the clean-sheet, not concede any goals, and keep the opposition attackers out with as much passion and heart as we can. I feel like I did that against Manchester United, and the whole team did that too.
“When those 1v1 situations occur against Manchester United, you have players like Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Antony and Jadon Sancho coming at you. They are top-class players so you need to be at your best and perform all your defensive jobs at the top level. I think that’s something we did really well.”
BENRAHMA BRILLIANCE
Early pressure came from the visiting United, with Rashford and Fernandes trying their luck. The former even struck the woodwork, but the crucial goal came on 27 minutes.
Saïd Benrahma took possession from Luke Shaw, shrugged off pressure from Victor Lindelöf, and fired an effort past David de Gea from 20 yards out. The Spaniard will have felt he could have done better, but the Hammers had the lead.
The Red Devils continued to press, with Antony hitting the post. But, in truth, the Irons gave as good as they got too.
Tomáš Souček and Nayef Aguerd both went close to doubling West Ham's lead, while Michail Antonio did find the net only for VAR to rule his finish out for a perceived foul.
When the final whistle rang out at London Stadium it heralded not only the end of the match, but three highly deserved points for the home side.
“We had good possession and combinations with the ball, and we had chances to score two or even three goals,” Kehrer continued. “At the end of the day, Saïd got the goal for us that made the difference and I know people will talk about David De Gea when it comes to that one. Maybe that one was a bit lucky but we certainly had the chances in the game to score goals and we deserved the win.
For the defender, the communication and trust across the whole team found a new height that afternoon. The sum of the parts in the team made for a greater whole.
“Trust is such a big part of the game, particularly in defence. You have to have that between the defenders, and also the midfielders who sit just in front of us. When you don’t concede a goal, that’s the work of the whole team. When you score, that comes down to the whole team. With that, of course, wins are completely down to work and effort of the whole team.”
SUPERB SUPPORT
Victory against Erik ten Hag’s team put the Hammers seven points clear of the bottom three with three games left to play; a strong position to avoid relegation and a status that was finally confirmed with a 3-1 win over Leeds United two weeks later.
For Kehrer, those efforts against Manchester United are a point of personal pride.
“I remember the energy I brought on the pitch,” he said. “I think I gave some confidence to my teammates with my performance, and I brought security on my defensive side. I think I made good decisions in the right moments too, which was the most important thing. So much of football is about the decision making.”
Finally but most importantly, according to Kehrer, the effort from the home support that afternoon was the real difference maker.
As good as he himself played; as well as the entire team did, the German put all the credit for the result firmly at the feet of West Ham United’s twelfth man.
"The fans certainly played a big part for us that day. They were incredible. We were a goal up and Manchester United were pushing us, looking to create chances and get a goal back. We were defending for our lives, with everything we had, and looking for good chances to counter-attack too.
"At all of our home games, there is a huge, incredible support from our fans that all of us appreciate a lot, but it felt like it was on another level that day. It was very special."
