West Ham recovered from a one goal deficit on Sunday afternoon to take a crucial point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge following an equaliser by Javier Hernandez.
Three minutes after coming off the bench, the former-Manchester United man made his mark, capitalising on some brilliant play by Marko Arnautovic with a tidy finish into the bottom corner.
Hart praises Hammers for digging deep despite conceding early on
“It’s nice to stay in the game. Chicha has come on – after being on the other side of the world and being poorly – and we’re so glad he was fit and got that vital goal,” said Hart. “We looked dangerous in the second half.”
“First half I thought we were poor given the standards we are trying to set at this club, but it is important we were able to stay strong and fight back in a really difficult venue. They’re the Champions and they had a poor result last week so we knew they would be at it.”
Chelsea produced 23 shots on target, with Joe Hart putting in a man of the match performance to deny the hosts from finding a late winner through substitute Olivier Giroud. Hart, who will be itching to get himself in England’s World Cup squad, got down brilliantly to get a finger-tip on Giroud’s header, pushing it onto the post and out for a corner.
“They created a lot and caused a lot of havoc but we stood strong. We believed in the process and we got the result," Hart concluded.
Chicharito continues great goalscoring record against Chelsea
“I’m just sorry to Chelsea fans!,” said Hernandez. “Sometimes these things happen. It’s difficult to explain. The most important thing is we got the point, though. We have added another point to try and stay away from relegation.”
“I think in these games, you have to be clever and focused to stop a side like Chelsea. We’re glad we could do that today to get this point. Now we have our final against Stoke next week.”
Stoke currently sit in the relegation zone, seven points worse off than West Ham who have played a game less. Thus, the clash represents a hugely important fixture for both sides; a win would ensure Moyes’ side remain out of a survival scrap while defeat could drag them back into troubled water.
Javier Hernandez believes the club are moving in the right direction but has stressed the importance of retaining momentum after Sunday’s result, with The Hammers unable to afford many slip-ups.
“We’re moving in the right direction, but you’ve seen this league; one day you’ve got a big smile on your face and the next you don’t. Next Monday against Stoke is our game of the season now, so maybe if we get a result there our smile will be stronger.”
“But that’s the future – we are on the present now and we have 34 points, six ahead of the relegation zone and that’s great for us.”