WEEP OF FAITH
Desperate Pellegrini turns to Martin ...and third-choice keeper smashes it!
AFTER years of angst, West Ham fans finally found a son of a former player to love at Stamford Bridge.
Third-choice keeper David Martin produced the unlikeliest clean sheet of the season on a fairytale Premier League debut.
For once the anti-frank Lampard songs were toned down – drowned out by tunes in praise of the offspring of Hammers legend Alvin Martin.
That was even before Aaron Creswell’s strike on 48 minutes delivered a first win in nine games to take the pressure off Manuel Pellegrini.
The underfire Chilean was supposedly two games away from the sack.
Not now, not after this gritty display, which even overcame Michail Antonio having a 68th-minute goal disallowed by VAR.
Pellegrini said: “My big worry this week was not my job or the future but getting the players to keep believing in what we were doing and they showed that today.”
Martin fell to the ground at the final whistle, and shed tears of exhilaration and sheer relief as he was embraced by his team-mates.
After celebrating a first West Ham win at the Bridge since September 2002 with an ecstatic away end,
Martin then climbed into the stand behind the dugout to embrace his father.
Martin, 33, said: “It still doesn’t feel real. I’m just pleased I got through it, didn’t let anyone down and I enjoyed it in the end.
“My dad didn’t say much – I think we were both in tears!
“For Dad to play for the club for 21 years and see that, and for me to make my debut, keep a clean sheet and get a win for the boys, it is so pleasing.”
Calamity keeper Roberto was finally dropped after conceding 19 goals in eight winless games. It meant that for a second time this season, Irons boss
Pellegrini handed a 33-year-old goalkeeper his Premier League debut.
Pellegrini said: “The most difficult thing during this week, was not the worry about my job or worried about what is happening in the future.
“I was worried to try to convince the players not to change the style and keep believing in what we were doing.”
Before kick-off, Martin had a quick glance up to the sky followed by a deep intake of breath, with the West Ham fans stood behind him.
Then came the release of his first action. Reece James fired a sixth-minute cross straight into the grateful arms of the keeper.
Relieved travelling
fans blasted out a nervous rendition of ‘There’s only one David Martin’.
By half-time it seemed they were willing to let him sleep with their wife.
There were two big reasons for that – Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena.
The West Ham centrebacks were man-mountains as Chelsea threatened to overrun the Hammers, but sorely missed the cutting edge of injured top scorer Tammy Abraham.
His replacement Olivier Giroud looked like a player starting a league game for the first time since August.
Twice right-back Reece James fizzed crosses into the six-yard box which neither Mount or Giroud could apply a finishing touch to.
Cresswell bagged his third goal of the season to punish that wastefulness.
The left-back collected the ball off Pablo Fornals, cut inside Reece James before curling a right-foot shot into the corner.
It knocked Chelsea flat. They rarely threatened after that.
Antonio was ruled to have handled the ball before bundling in Robert Snodgrass’s cross.
It meant West Ham and Martin had to endure an anxious five minutes of injury time. Christian Pulisic fired wildly wide in
the first of those to ensure Martin’s dream day was not spoiled.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said: “My gripe lately has been we have not converted enough of the chances we have been making.
“Today we simply did not create enough.”