West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski left the pitch on a stretcher in the 36th minute after a late intervention from Southampton defender Nathan Wood.
Manager Julen Lopetegui confirmed the veteran goalkeeper was conscious and communicating after being forced off the pitch during the first half of the Hammers' 1-0 win over Southampton following a worrying clash.
Fabianski suffered a violent blow after successfully clearing a corner kick in the 29th minute, requiring seven minutes of medical attention before being carried off the pitch. Although he was seen wearing an oxygen mask as he left the stadium, Lopetegui reassured fans that the goalkeeper did not require hospital treatment and remained at St Mary's to watch his team win.
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“He suffered significant impact to the head and neck area and was momentarily confused about his situation,” Lopetegui said. “Fortunately, the good news is that he is talking, he is alert and conscious. I spoke with him and the medical staff indicated that he is feeling better. I am optimistic about his recovery. He seems to have regained his senses and, although we were worried, fortunately He's getting better, which is a relief for all of us.”
West Ham made a promising start to the match, with Carlos Soler hitting the crossbar just four minutes after kick-off. Saints, under new manager Ivan Juric, responded with enthusiasm, with Paul Onuachu, making his second start of the season, proving a constant threat in attack, but missing several clear chances to score.
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Fabianski made an excellent save to deny Onuachu a goal in the 25th minute, but was replaced by Alphonse Areola shortly afterwards. The Frenchman continued his brilliant defensive work, preventing Onuachu from scoring during first-half stoppage time.
West Ham's evening became even more tense in the 51st minute when Guido Rodriguez was initially shown a red card for a hard foul on Kyle Walker-Peters. However, after VAR intervention, referee Lewis Smith reviewed the situation and downgraded the card to a yellow.
Jarrod Bowen finally closed out the match with a nice header in the 59th minute, capitalizing on a touch from Niclas Fullkrug following a header from Tomas Soucek in the penalty area.
Lopetegui concluded: “I have to rewatch the match to provide an in-depth analysis, but my immediate impression is that we showed resilience and ability to resist as a team, securing three crucial points in what was a difficult match.”
Southampton's new manager Juric expressed a mixture of pride and frustration at his team's performance, bemoaning in particular the circumstances that led to West Ham's winning goal, resulting from a careless corner conceded by Yuki Sugawara.
“We played well, creating numerous chances and showing many positive aspects, but I am disappointed with the final result,” commented Juric. “We cannot afford to concede goals from such distractions of concentration. It is essential to maintain concentration for the entire 90 minutes, not just in fleeting moments. After that, they showed greater concreteness in the scoring phase – just as the Italians would refer to a stronger mentality.”
