Emerson claims that there was no luck involved in his sensational strike against Brentford and acknowledged how important the result was for the rest of their season.

Heading into the game against Brentford, West Ham knew that they needed to walk away with all three points. They were at a real risk of slipping out of the race of Europe and making things incredibly toxic at the London Stadium. Ultimately, the players showed up, putting on an impressive display to beat the Bees 4-2.

While there were some incredible displays from the hosts, the highlight of the game was easily Emerson Palmieri’s screamer to all but secure the win for the Hammers, a win that he was delighted with. 

“It was nice for our fans, our group, and our team. It was a happy night for everyone. I’m very happy with the win as it was very important for us,” he told the official site.

The goal he scored was a 25-yard rocket into the top corner that was hit exactly how the left-back wanted. “It wasn’t luck,” he explained. “it was a beautiful goal. When the ball came to me it was too good a chance not to shoot and when I shot, I saw the ball heading forwards goal and said, ‘that’s a goal, it’s impossible for the keeper to save it’ and it was a very nice goal.”

While he was rightfully overjoyed with his goal, he also was keen to highlight the performance of his teammates with hat-trick hero Jarrod Bowen and the returning Lucas Paqueta standing out in particular. 

“[Paqueta and I] know each other very well and when we have him on the pitch it’s different not just for me but for everyone as we have more confidence to play. One player like Lucas makes a difference and he showed it again tonight and we are very happy with him.”

“I’m happy for Jarrod for getting his first hat-trick and very happy to score a goal in front of our fans. Jarrod is a top player, a special player and he deserves a lot, including this hat-trick.”

You could feel the tension lift off of both the players and crowd on Monday night, but there is no time to grow complacent. If West Ham are to secure another season of European for their first win of 2024 must be a turning point in their season, the Italian defender explained. “We know our quality, and of course the last month has not been easy for us, but we always worked hard and tried to win the games and we needed that tonight. We have to dream of course [of qualifying for European football again] but the Premier League is tough. We know our quality and we need to try to win every game.”