West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes has vowed the Hammers will keep battling for Premier League survival despite a painful defeat to Arsenal at the London Stadium.
The Portugal international produced a tireless display in Sunday’s 1-0 loss, leading West Ham in touches, passes and tackles as the hosts pushed hard to frustrate the league leaders.
However, the defining moment arrived late in the second half when Fernandes broke through on goal after a sharp one-two with Pablo, only to be denied by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
Moments later, Arsenal struck through Leandro Trossard to snatch all three points, while substitute Callum Wilson saw an added-time equaliser ruled out after a VAR review.
The defeat leaves West Ham stuck in the relegation zone with only two matches remaining against Newcastle United and Leeds United.
Still, Fernandes insists the fight is far from over.
“We fought for every ball and for every duel and we showed a lot of spirit in the team,” said Fernandes.
“It was incredible on the pitch. We felt every moment the effort of the team.
“We needed to score our chances. My chance, I needed to score. I train every day to score my chances. It was a good save from David as well.
“Now we have to look forward, to rest, to sleep well and try to recover to play against Newcastle because we need to win that game.”
Despite the setback, the 21-year-old believes West Ham can draw confidence from their display against the Premier League leaders.
As the relegation race enters the final stretch, Fernandes says the squad must stay united and keep pushing until the final whistle of the campaign.
“I think, first of all, we need to look at the game and take confidence from the fact we played well against the first team in this league, so if we can compete against these teams, we can compete against all the teams in this league.
“It gives confidence to my teammates, to the Club, because we can do it. There are still games to play and points to take and we need to believe until the end because there are two games and things can change very quick.”
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