There has been little positive to shout about regarding West Ham’s Joe Hart this term – however the England veteran put in a great shirt against Chelsea.
Sunday saw West Ham earn a vital point at Stamford Bridge as they held last season’s champions Chelsea to a 1-1 draw.
Javier Hernandez’s second half equaliser proved enough for David Moyes’ side to come away from the game with a result, climbing up to 14th place in the league table with a game in hand over a number of other relegation-threatened sides.
Since Hart’s plight, which saw him go from starting Manchester City and England shot stopper, to bench warmer for West Ham, the Three Lions have gone through something of a ‘keeper crisis. There are a number of credible options in terms of quality such as Nick Pope, Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford, but only Hart has major tournament experience.
Regardless, following his showing against Chelsea, Gareth Southgate will have been reminded exactly what Hart is all about, with the 30-year-old having proven that he isn’t entirely finished at the top level.
Hart’s Man of the Match performance for West Ham led to great praise by fans and pundits alike, including from former Chelsea player Chris Sutton, who summed his emotions up in a post-match tweet which read…
To hold Chelsea to a solitary strike, with the Blues having had 23 shots – six of which were on target – is a great showing from Hart, who made five saves on a difficult evening for the West Ham defence.
Having put in such a fine performance, you would think the England man has done enough to retain his position between the sticks for the Hammers, and should be aiming to build on his great performance in the remaining games of the season to ensure both West Ham’s survival and give him the opportunity of starting for his country once again at a major tournament.
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