- Darren Randolph felt the Hammers were unfortunate to be beaten by Chelsea on Monday
- Goalkeeper produced a number of decent saves, including a world-class stop from Diego Costa
- No13 says the squad are determined to bounce back by winning at AFC Bournemouth
Darren Randolph felt West Ham United gave a good account of themselves against Premier League leaders Chelsea on Monday night and were unfortunate to go down to a 2-1 defeat.
Randolph and his teammates made a fine start at London Stadium, only for a breakaway Eden Hazard goal to give the Blues the lead midway through the first half. Diego Costa bundled home a second shortly after half-time, before Manuel Lanzini scored a consolation in added time.
The Hammers face AFC Bournemouth next at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday and the Republic of Ireland No1 is sure they can bounce back to set themselves up for a strong end to the campaign.
“We started the game very well and stuck to the gameplan, and then conceded the goal when we had the ball. It was always going to be hard from there," the stopper observed.
“They didn’t have too many chances, but when you play the top teams they are clinical when they get their chances."
Randolph was in good form himself against Chelsea, making a sensational Goal of the Season contender to tip Costa's shot around the post in the second half.
Despite his heroics, however, the No13 was left with nothing to show for his efforts other than an impressive show reel.
“It was probably my best one of the game, but it would have been nicer to make it if we were winning 1-0 instead of being behind.”
"Chelsea are a good side and are top of the league for a reason. They’re well-organised defensively and quick on the break.
"They broke on us a few times in the game, changing defence into attack in just about ten seconds and we knew it would be tough because they are a top team.”
We’ve worked hard to get ourselves out of the position we were in and we don’t want to let that fade away
Darren Randolph
Next up for the Hammers is a trip down the M3 to AFC Bournemouth, where the Hammers won 3-1 last season. A win would complete a Premier League 'double' over Eddie Howe's men, following the 1-0 success at London Stadium back in August.
Victory this weekend will take Slaven Bilic's side back into the top ten, but Randolph is taking nothing for granted against the Cherries.
“It will be another tough game for us," the Bray-born goalkeeper confirmed. "It’s not the easiest of places to go, but we want to end the season strongly.
"We’ve worked hard to get ourselves out of the position we were in and we don’t want to let that fade away.”