Łukasz Fabiański marked his first EFL Cup appearance in nearly a decade with an outstanding performance in Wednesday’s 1-0 third-round win at Lincoln City.
The former Poland international goalkeeper proved exactly why manager David Moyes says West Ham United have two No1 goalkeepers with a match-winning display at LNER Stadium.
At 38, Fabiański has been replaced by Alphonse Areola in the Irons’ Premier League starting XI, but he was back behind the sticks as the Londoners kicked-off their Carabao Cup challenge.
The veteran made a string of fine saves, most notably keeping out a powerful header from former Academy of Football schoolboy Hakeeb Adelakun when the game was goalless, and a rasping long-range shot from substitute Dylan Duffy after Tomáš Souček had opened the scoring 20 minutes from time.
Fabiański, whose last EFL Cup appearance came for Arsenal in October 2013, also showed sure handling on a night when Storm Agnes sent strong winds and driving rain to the East of England, and showed yet again why he has been such a valuable member of the squad since joining from Swansea City five years ago.
And while his opportunities could be limited to the cup competitions this season, the stopper was pleased to have played his part in earning the Hammers a place in the fourth round.
“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be very difficult, very physical and very direct, so we wanted to be ready and to match their energy and I thought we did that very well,” he told West Ham TV. “We got the result, maybe in a scrappy way, but the main thing was to get through to the next round so I was very pleased with the performance and with the result.
“It wasn’t easy and the conditions not easy to deal with, so I thought we put in a very professional performance. The first half wasn’t too bad but in the second half we were playing against the wind and the ball can do many things in the air because the wind was coming in diagonally!
“It always makes it difficult and you have to be very careful. All my goal kicks in the second half basically ended up in my own box! So, as a player, you have to be careful to deal with it and do it in a very responsible way. I think we did it in a good way.”
While he was very understated as usual, Fabiański was rightly pleased with his own personal performance.
“I’m very happy, very pleased!” he smiled. “I believe I really helped the team on a few occasions and I felt really good out there on the pitch so I believe this was our first clean this season in official games, which is pleasing, and I played a big part in it, actually.
“There is big competition. I believe we have a strong squad and everyone tries to compete and do their best for the team and for themselves.
“We have loads of games in the league and in the cups as well and we want to progress in them, so even the players who don’t play in the Premier League as much are playing almost every week because of the amount of games we have.
“For me personally, that’s what I am pushing for. I want to be very competitive and take as many chances as I can to perform in a good way so I stay at a good level and I help the team to grow.
“Being on the pitch is always a good opportunity to progress as a team and also as a player.”
