Manuel Lanzini might not be able to affect matters on the pitch on Saturday after being sidelined with a knee injury, but the West Ham United playmaker believes his teammates can take inspiration from last season’s home win against Tottenham Hotspur.
The 1-0 win in May, which secured West Ham’s Premier League status and effectively ended the visitors’ title challenge was secured thanks to the Argentine’s 65th-minute winner.
The goal was Lanzini’s ninth against a team from the Capital and his third in four games against Spurs.
He remembers the game and moment fondly: “Scoring that goal was something magical,” he said. “The atmosphere was brilliant – it was a high stakes match and the fans were amazing. It was crazy.”
“I saw Aaron [Cresswell] passing by my side, to the left. I passed him the ball. He crossed it, I saw that the ball was bouncing in the area and I had the intuition that somehow one of the rebounds will end in my feet…and that’s what happened, right in the middle of the box! I was left alone, shot the ball and it went in. Scoring that goal was amazing feeling.”
Scoring that goal was something magical
Manuel Lanzini
Lanzini’s superb record in derbies has helped cement his status as a fan favourite at the club.
“Derbies are unique matches, they are the ones that a player always wants win. We are always well prepared but for a match like this you prepare in a different way. Those are very important games for us and for the people – for everyone involved.
He added: “I have been lucky enough to be able to score in derbies. Maybe because of the motivation, or the fact that they are special, I don’t know but the truth is that I’ve managed to score quite often in them.”