Super Eagles and Fulham attacking midfielder, Alex Chuka Iwobi, was left frustrated despite scoring a brace in his side’s 3-2 defeat to West Ham United in a thrilling London derby on Tuesday night.
The highly anticipated clash between the two local rivals lived up to its expectations, with Fulham on the receiving end of a dramatic loss.
Errors from goalkeeper Bernd Leno and midfielder Andreas Pereira led to two unforced goals for Graham Potter’s West Ham side, ultimately proving costly for the Cottagers.
Speaking after the match, Iwobi reflected on the team’s mistakes, stressing how their lack of focus contributed to the result. However, he also urged his teammates to stay positive and look ahead to their next fixture against Leicester City.
“We’re all disappointed, especially with the way we lost the game, it was just mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes at the end of the day. If we had nullified that, we could’ve won the game today, but there’s a game around the corner. We can’t dwell on it, we have to analyze it, dust ourselves up and go again,” Iwobi said.
Iwobi, who was instrumental in his side’s attacking play, noted that Fulham had created numerous chances and even hit the woodwork twice.
“We created so many chances and hit the woodwork twice and we felt like we could have gotten a few more goals, but if you don’t defend as a team, if you make these mistakes, then in the Premier League, everyone can punish us. We just have to work on that, to try and cut out the mistakes and I’m sure we’ll be able to beat teams like West Ham,” he added.
The former Arsenal midfielder’s brace came in similar fashion, with Iwobi floating in two crosses that evaded everyone before landing in the back of the net. Despite the goals, Iwobi downplayed his individual achievement, admitting that he hadn’t intended to shoot.
“It doesn’t matter who scored. The main thing is to try and get the three points. I’ll just take the two goals if they’re mine. Of course, I won’t say I took a shot. I was aiming for both of them (Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson),” he said. “I was just trying to make sure I was creating chances for my teammates, I wasn’t trying to score. Whether I’m scoring or I’m creating, as long as we get the goals, I’m easy.”
Following the loss, Fulham have dropped to 9th in the Premier League standings. Iwobi and his teammates will now look to bounce back when they travel to the King’s Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Saturday, where they will take on Wilfred Ndidi’s side.
