West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka was all smiles at the final whistle of the Hammers’ late Carabao Cup second round win over AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday, praising his teammates' character, effort and never-say-die attitude.
The contest looked to be heading for penalties at London Stadium until Jarrod Bowen found the net two minutes from the end.
Mohammed Kudus’ shot hit the chest of Bowen and flew beyond Bournemouth keeper Neto to book our spot in round three.
“It is [the most important thing getting to the next round]," Wan-Bissaka confirmed. "I think the team put in effort and we managed to fight our way through and got the goal late, so there are plenty of positives.
“It’s not a surprise from him [Jarrod Bowen] because he's got a lot of quality. It was good for him to get the goal.”
A late change to the starting XI saw Vladimír Coufal drafted into right-back in place of Aaron Cresswell, while Wan-Bissaka, who was making his full West Ham debut, put in a stellar performance on the opposite flank with a series of strong challenges.
The 26-year-old made his Irons bow from the bench in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Crystal Palace and has settled into life in east London seamlessly.
“You’ve got to be ready at all times, as anything can happen in football, so I was just ready to be able to give it my all,” said Wan-Bissaka. “I enjoyed it a lot. Both fans were very respectful on Saturday when I came on, so that helped a lot, and again, we managed to get the result. Just like tonight, we didn’t give up and managed to pull through as a team.”
When coming through the Eagles’ youth academy, Wan-Bissaka was coached by West Ham United legend Kevin Keen, who made 278 appearances for the Hammers as a player between 1986 and 1993.
He said: “I saw him [Kevin Keen] on my second day here, and it was good to see him. I remember the time he was there at Palace, and he made that decision to make me a full-back. He’s played a big role in my career. He believes in you, and he will tell you that you need to express yourself when you get the chance, and hopefully he can continue that here.”
Next up for the Hammers is a test against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, and the defender believes the fans have a massive part to play this weekend.
“I think every game is tough, so we have got to prepare well and look forward to the game at the weekend,” he continued. “The fans help us a lot and are the push that we need to get over the line, so they will do their best and hopefully we can get a positive result.”
