Speaking to the Official Matchday programme, Łukasz Fabiański recalls a special, history-making afternoon in north London for West Ham United…
Wins over Tottenham Hotspur are always occasions to savour for the Claret and Blue Army, and a particular trip to north London in 2019 will always stand out in particular for goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański.
Just a few short weeks after Spurs proudly opened their new stadium, West Ham United were the visitors in a Sunday lunchtime Premier League kick-off. Having called ‘Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’ home since 3 April 2019, Mauricio Pochettino’s side had beaten the likes of Crystal Palace, Huddersfield Town, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at their new ground, netting eight goals without replay.
Then the Irons came to town.
“I can remember being excited about going there and playing in a new stadium,” Fabiański said: “Obviously, Spurs are a local derby too and you know it’s always going to be a difficult game when you go up to north London. Before the game, you are thinking to yourself how good it would be to go over to the new stadium and be the first team to get a win there.
“From my standpoint, too, you want to be the first away goalkeeper to keep a clean-sheet at the stadium as well if you can.
“We knew it would be a challenge though and, before the game, we were working hard on everything from a performance point-of-view. I can remember the atmosphere in our group before that game was really good.”
DERBY DAY FAMILIARITY
For Fabiański, derbies with Tottenham have been part and parcel of life in the Premier League.
The experienced Poland shot-stopper began his career in England with Arsenal as a youngster. Switching to Swansea City in 2014, Fabiański moved back to London with the Hammers in 2018.
Every game is, in theory, the same for a professional player, according to the goalkeeper. But, when you know just how much certain matches mean to the supporters, it cannot help but add even more motivation for the squad.
“As a player, you want to focus on the performance and the things you can control. That being said, we know what these games mean to the fans, and we want to make our fans happy.
“It means that bit more to them, these matches, so you want to make sure you’re putting in a good performance and doing things properly. That’s the main thing.”
Tottenham were, as mentioned, in good form heading into the London derby. A place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals had been secured, thanks to a quarter-final win over Manchester City, while Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs were also in the hunt for another top four finish in the Premier League.
West Ham, meanwhile, had been on a difficult run of form; one that saw the Irons winless in the four previous Premier League matches, albeit against difficult opposition such as Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United.
A disciplined start at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was always going to be crucial.
“In any game, you need a solid base,” Fabiański explained. “It’s important to start the game in a good way, no matter who you are playing.
“You need to be solid at the back and make sure you don’t concede early. From there, you can try to grow into the game, see how it evolves and make chances.”
MICHAIL’S MAGNIFICANT MOMENT
As expected, it was the home side who came out swinging in the first-half, and the visitors had to be on guard from the off.
A defensive line of Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and Arthur Masuaku stood strong against Tottenham’s attack, with Fabiański called into action early to deny Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen.
Lucas Moura also went close, firing an effort over the bar, but the score remained level going into half-time. It was the Hammers who started the second half the stronger of the two sides and, half-way through, the Irons struck.
“I can remember Marko played a ball over for Michail and he smashed it, and he then did a very unique celebration!” the goalkeeper continued. “I know I was at the other end of the pitch but I actually had a good view of it. Declan Rice had the ball and passed it, and then Marko took possession. It was a good ball from him into Micky.
“I remember we had a couple of good chances before that as well. There was a moment too when Issa Diop had the ball and went on an amazing run through the Tottenham team, and went one-on-one with Hugo Lloris, which he had to save.”
Having drawn first blood on 67 minutes, Fabiański knew the Hammers would have to withstand a late-game onslaught from the hosts. A big chance came right at the end for Vincent Janssen, one that almost found the back of the net.
“After we scored, we defended really well. We defended well throughout the whole game but particularly after Michail scored. I feel like I was busier in the first half and had to make a few saves, but in the second half things were steadier for us.
“Towards the end of the game they had one good chance, and Fabian Balbuena had to clear the ball off the line. It was a really good bit of defending. It was a good game.”
A CONVINCING CONCLUSION
After a tricky run through Spring for the Hammers, victory over Tottenham spurred West Ham onto a winning run into the end of the 2018/19 season.
A home 3-0 win against Southampton a week later was then followed by a 4-1 victory away to Watford on the last day of the campaign, and Fabiański believes the three points against their London rivals gave West Ham the impetus to conclude the season strongly.
“We were towards the end of the season at that point, and I can remember we had a difficult start to that season,” the goalkeeper added. “We picked it up and, in the end, we were close to finishing seventh or eighth. We finished tenth in the end but I think that was down to our start, more than anything. We lost our first four games and without those, we would have had a pretty decent season.
“After that Tottenham game, we played two more league games, which we won. We finished the season really strongly and picked up quite a few points.
“It was a strong way to finish the campaign and I believe this win over Tottenham helped give us the confidence to go on that run and get those wins.”
