Carlos Soler was all smiles after scoring his first goal in West Ham United colours to set the foundations for a 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham.
The Spain international swept the Irons into the lead with a powerful first-time strike on 31 minutes after Edson Álvarez’s high pressing forced Andreas Pereira to pass the ball into his path 18 years from goal.
Two minutes later, Soler played his part in West Ham’s second goal, crossing for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to square for Tomáš Souček to score.
Although Fulham pulled one back through Alex Iwobi, further pressing from Danny Ings forced goalkeeper to pass straight to Lucas Paquetá, who fired into the unguarded net.
Another Iwobi cross-shot made it 3-2 and set up an anxious final 15 minutes at London Stadium, the Hammers held on for a morale-boosting victory in new Head Coach Graham Potter’s first home game in charge.
“For me it's an amazing day!” the No4 beamed. “I think I was working hard since I arrived here. I played in the last eight to ten games and I started to play with more consistency in the team, but I didn't score. I had so many chances in a lot of games, so I'm very happy because it was the first time I had scored.”
Soler said the Claret and Blue Army had driven the team to victory over in-form Fulham, ending the Cottagers’ nine-match unbeaten run in the process.
“The fans were amazing,” he observed. “Not just today, always, but tonight they were with us. We suffered in the second half and we have been together, so we have won together.
“That's the gift to them, to win this match. Let's win this Saturday because two wins in a row is going to be perfect, so I hope we will win.”
Having lauded the team spirit and commitment shown by the players in beating Fulham, Soler is now targeting back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season when Crystal Palace visit E20 on Saturday afternoon.
“We have not made it two wins in a row this year so far, and it’s difficult as it's the Premier League and they are very good teams,” he continued. “Today Fulham, Saturday Crystal Palace, I think they are two good teams, but we can win these types of matches. Hopefully, on Saturday, here with our fans again, maybe it's going to be the second in a row.
“We are going to have to work hard with the team these coming days to prepare for the match and go for the win because the squad and the fans deserve that.”
