MANCHESTER United, and in particular Wayne Rooney, will terrorise
many more defences this season, but not many will show the stern
resistence that West Ham United put up against the Red Devils on
Sunday.
With Rooney and his United colleagues in devestating form in the first match since the passing of George Best, it was always going to be tough for Alan Pardew's side.
And even though they failed to hold onto the promising
first-half lead, defender Paul Konchesky admitted that the
performance was another step in the right direction for Hammers.
He said: "The first half was great for us, we got the goal and
we were on top. But they came out in the second-half all guns
blazing and relly stepped up a gear.
"Especially the likes of Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney, who came to life in the second-half and were tough for us to get close to.
"They scored a very good equaliser through Rooney and then got their second goal soon after, which kind of killed the game for us, because once they get ahead it's very difficult to peg them back.
"We kept going because we were so determined to take
something from the game, especially after our first-half
performance, but it didn't happen for us in the
second-half."
After the game the 24-year-old England defender was candid in his
assessment of the United side, admitting that Hammers had just lost
to one of the best team's in the modern era.
Konch added: "They're one of the best teams in the world. I've played against some of those players before, but for some of the lads out there it was their first time against what are truly world-class footballers.
"Everyone held their own and we can take a lot of positives
from the team's performance. We kept plugging away and although
we lost, the belief is there that we can play well against any
team, even those sides that are going to be challenging at the very
highest level this season."
"You are not going to play against many better players than
the likes of Rooney, Scholes and Van Nistelrooy this season, so to
play well against them is a big plus.
"To lose 2-1 is disappointing, but we can learn a lot from the
game."
With three away matches at Birmingham, Blackburn and Everton before
Hammers play at Upton Park again, Konch is hoping Hammers can pick
up some bonus points on the road before Christmas.
He said: "If we can keep digging in then we can get some good
points ahead of the Christmas period, which is always tough and
hectic. It's a difficult month ahead, especially with the
amount of away games, but if we can keep on playing the way we are
doing, then hopefully the results will come."