On Monday 24 February 2020, for just shy of 15 second-half minutes, West Ham United supporters dared to dream what then seemed unthinkable.
With 54 minutes on the clock, the Irons had just taken the lead at Anfield against a Liverpool side who, up to that point, had won 25 of the 26 Premier League games they had undertaken.
And while Jurgen Klopp’s side eventually mounted a late comeback to come away with three points, it was the visitors’ performance that got many neutral supporters fervently talking.
Few would dispute that the Hammers deserved more than they received that night for an excellent display.
Chief among the star performers in West Ham colours was second goalscorer Pablo Fornals, the Spaniard whose sweeping finish from Declan Rice’s low cross looked to have put Liverpool to the sword.
“They are great memories because I was having a tough time at the Club then,” the No18 recalled. “It was a good game – one of the last games before lockdown.
“I was not normally playing at that moment, but after that game and after that goal, I started to get more starts for the Club - and it was a great moment.”
Now, David Moyes' West Ham United side prepare to return to Anfield on Saturday evening with their opponents, the newly-crowned champions, having already dropped points twice in six games this season.
The dressing room is very together. We have a nice group of guys. I’m happy to be here with the lads
Pablo Fornals
Moreover, Fornals feels that he and his teammates, on a four-match unbeaten run and playing some outstanding football in recent weeks, are in even better shape to topple the Reds this time around.
Despite their hosts' undoubted quality, the prospect certainly seems less unthinkable now.
Fornals said: “I think we have had a lot of difficult games at the start of the season, and this one is another one.
“We are getting points against the top teams in the league, so we’re going to try to get points like we do in every match.
“Now, our mood is much better because we have started well and we don’t feel the pressure of the bottom three. The dressing room is very together. We have a nice group of guys. I’m happy to be here with the lads.
“Liverpool are probably the best team in the league. They showed that last season. [Injured defender Virgil] Van Dijk is a great player for them, but they still have their three or four attackers, so we have to be careful because they are a great team and very dangerous.
“We are defending well. With not many chances, we are scoring goals. This is our way to play, and we need to keep that shape and this feeling that we are playing and getting points.”
Along with his technical proficiency, Fornals has consistently endeared himself to managers, players and supporters alike at West Ham United with his unquestionable work rate.
The playmaker, now in his second season in east London having made the switch from Villarreal last summer, has enjoyed seeing his influence on the team grow during their recent excellent runs of form.
“My passion and my desire on the pitch is the same as last season,” he explained. “It will be the same next season.
“We are playing differently. I’m playing more inside than outside, and I’m feeling good. I am playing a lot, I’m working for my teammates – I’m happy.
“We have more players at the back, so I don’t need to work as much as I did defensively. Last season, I played left-back in some moments of games!
“Now, I can show a little bit more why West Ham signed me. I’m very happy. I just want to play well and spend more time on the pitch.”
The Hammers’ eight points thus far this season have all arrived in spite of a demanding opening run of fixtures, having faced five of last season’s top-eight Premier League teams.
Such impressive performances could pave the way for more lofty ambitions but Fornals, ever-focused and ever-pragmatic, is taking it game-by-game.
“I am playing a lot, I’m happy, and I am trying to help the guys on and off the pitch. It’s the reason I came here," he surmised.
“The ambition is to build a great team, a great family as this Club is, and be as high up as we can at the end of the season.”
