Crisencio Somerville didn’t blush for West Ham as he came off the bench to score the winning goal in extra time against Burton in League One, sending Nuno Espirito Santos’ side into the last 16 of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory.
Somerville cut in from the left in the 95th minute of a poorly contested game, beat two defenders and fired a shot that deflected Terence VanKooten and beat Brad Collins for six of his last seven goals.
The Hammers may have renewed their hopes of avoiding relegation by winning three of their last five Premier League games, but the side, who made 10 changes from their 1-1 draw with Manchester United, struggled against a side who are 47 places below them in the league table and fourth from the bottom of League One.
After Freddie Potts was sent off in the 101st minute for clumsily hitting Julian Larsson in the back, Jack Armer, Kane Adom and Kylan Lofthouse all had shots just wide of the target, and the game remained tenacious.
Before kick-off, Hammers fans arranged for a plane to fly over the Pirelli Stadium and called on managers David Sullivan and Karen Brady to go, but it was not a performance to quell their discontent.
Burton manager Gary Bowyer spent the week trying to motivate his players by showing the then non-league Brewers’ FA Cup 0-0 draw with Manchester United in 2006, when they offered the Hammers a long-term deal, but they were not qualified to test Alphonse Areola.
Referee Lewis Smith shows West Ham’s Freddie Potts red card
While Nuno announced his substitutions, Bowyer opted to give his all despite relegation fears, and it showed that a well-organized Burton side made a strong start, with Sebastien Levan and George Evans narrowly wide, before Tyrese Shade curled a low shot past Arreola.
Top scorer Jake Beasley optimistically called for a penalty after falling under a challenge from Konstantinos Mavropanos, but was ignored by referee Lewis Smith.
Burton Albion’s Kane Adom and West Ham’s Sungutou Magassa battle for possession
West Ham did not threaten until the 38th minute, when Callum Wilson curled home a curling shot from the edge of the box that did not worry Collins. Mohamadou Kante’s next attack arrived in the parking lot.
West Ham started the second half better, keeping Burton at bay, but still lacked a real threat. The set-piece appeared to be the best bet for Mavropanos, the only player to maintain his place from Monday, but Collins headed home after the clearance.
Wilson then tried Collins with a dipping attack, but it was clear this tie was headed for overtime.
Burton Albion’s Udoka Godwin-Malife is tackled by West Ham’s Oliver Scurls.
Somerville came on as a substitute for Olly Scurls in the 83rd minute and immediately brought the inspiration that had been missing for so long into the game.
However, shortly after West Ham took control of the match, Potts cut down Larsson with a scissor action, putting them in danger of losing the match. Smith initially received a yellow card, but was soon given a well-deserved red card.
This gave Burton hope and West Ham gained momentum up front and were forced deeper into the game, but their late pressure was wiped out when Kgaogero Chauke’s shot hit the side netting.
Nuno: Somerville is confident
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said of Somerville: “He’s in a good period, he’s full of confidence. Everything he does seems to be going well so we have to take advantage of that.”
“It’s confidence. If you’re a forward player you know how that goes. A lot of the actions are personal so it’s all about confidence. He’s in a good period, he’s working for the team and he knows he can make a difference.”
Commenting on Potts’ sending off, Nuno said: “I hadn’t seen the footage so it wasn’t fair to judge this decision. But I’ll say it again, I don’t think Freddie Potts is a violent player. He’s very fair. He’s aggressive and he should be, but he’s not violent at all.”
Bowyer: “Performance is a credit to the club”
Barton manager Gary Bowyer: “It’s a credit to the players and the football club for leading a Premier League team to the final seconds of extra time.
“We started the game well. We knew they had made 10 changes, so it took us a while to get into the groove. Our pitch was also leveling out a little bit, so we knew we had a chance.”
“In important moments we weren’t able to execute them perfectly, but that’s part of Somerville’s quality. That’s what he can do, right?”
