Danny Ings stepped from the bench to salvage a precious point for West Ham United at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
And head coach Julen Lopetegui praised the experienced striker for his effort and attitude.
“I am happy for him,” said a relieved Lopetegui after his 32-year-old super-sub spared Hammers blushes with a late, late-leveller, five minutes into stoppage time.
“During the summer Danny was more or less going to leave the club and that was a big possibility but in the end he stayed.
“He always works very hard despite the fact that he doesn’t play very often but we believe in him and Danny’s a very good example to his team-mates.
“The season will always have a lot of moments and, in each game there is a mini-match. All of the players have to be prepared to take their part and Danny showed he was ready when he was needed.”
Ings met Jarrod Bowen’s byline cutback with just seconds to spare to claim only his sixth goal in 54 league and cup outings since a £12million move from Aston Villa in January 2023.
After returning from the international break, this was West Ham’s most disjointed display since the new head coach took charge for the 2024/25 campaign.
Indeed, with the clock ticking down, Lopetegui looked to be heading for a third defeat in his opening four Premier League games after Raul Jiménez had slotted the Cottagers into a 24th-minute lead.
“Some of the players have only just come back from very long trips, having also played two very demanding matches for their countries so it is not always easy after this kind of break," he added.
“Fulham were better in the first-half,” he conceded after introducing Lucas Paquetá, Crysencio Summerville, Vladimír Coufal and Ings during the second period in a bid to arrest a slide by the riverside.
“We did some good things with belief right until the end and there was a lot of fighting and running around, too.
“It is probably not normal to score a goal in the last minute of a match but – fortunately – we did and I am happy with the reaction and the spirit of the team because we managed to get an important point against a good side.
“But we can do better and we have to do better – above all, we need to improve with the ball.”
Lopetegui now faces an anxious wait over the fitness of former Chelsea defender Emerson ahead of another testing London derby clash against the Blues at London Stadium on Saturday (12.30pm).
“Emerson has a big knock in his knee and we will have to evaluate that because right now he has pain. I hope it is not important but let’s see," he said.
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