Hello everyone,
It is bitterly disappointing to be reflecting on a draw rather than a victory against West Brom. Not only were we so close to winning, but we also fully deserved the three points.
Our performance overall was excellent – even West Brom’s directors told me in the second half that we were the best side they have played all season.
A mixture of bad fortune and poor decisions cost us dearly, and it will be interesting to see what some of the pundits say about the key incidents that counted against us.
It wasn’t a great start to the afternoon, with the loss of Andy Carroll through injury beforehand and then conceding an early goal, but I was hugely impressed with the way both the players and the fans responded so positively.
The second half performance was dominant, against a very efficient and well-organised West Brom side, and the atmosphere was magnificent – there was a real sense of the fans spurring on the players.
Sofiane Feghouli showed great opportunism to follow-up the rebound from Manuel Lanzini’s fantastic effort, and then when Manu fired in the second goal we again heard that fantastic roar around the stadium.
I thought Lanzini was excellent. Although it was a real team performance, his display had great impact and influence on the game and, along with Slaven and the other players, he didn’t deserve to end up with anything less than a victory.
Although conceding a last-minute equaliser in that fashion can almost feel like a defeat at the time, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is another point on the board, and a run of six wins and a draw from our last 10 league matches is genuine cause for optimism.
The players have shown on several occasions this season that they are capable of bouncing back when the going gets tough, and we have made enormous progress since the early part of the season.
With a two-week break until our next game, the squad are flying to Dubai this week for a warm-weather training camp. It is an important trip that will provide the opportunity for the players to work hard in beneficial conditions, and I am sure they will come back refreshed, re-energised and ready for the Premier League run-in.
Before then, we will welcome thousands of Season Ticket Holders to London Stadium on Wednesday for the free Family Fun Day during half-term week. I hope everyone who attends has a great day and enjoys the various events that are taking place.
Despite the late sucker-punch today, I really felt the stadium was alive. The supporters were fantastic – it was great to see more flags decorating the stands following the recent new initiative, and we can look forward to the final third of the season with great hope as we aim to finish as high up the table as possible.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend
David Sullivan
Joint-Chairman