West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola previews Manchester United clash

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 01: Alphonse Areola of West Ham United reacts after conceding his team's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium on February 01, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has called on his teammates to use their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Thursday as a platform for success when they visit Old Trafford later this evening.

It took an equaliser from set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse to cancel out Dominic Solanke’s early open at the London Stadium, while a string of saves from Areola kept hopes alive for the Hammers as they went to secure a point against the Cherries.

West Ham have drawn their last three league games, but they are now unbeaten in six top-flight matches.

Areola spoke to reporters ahead of West Ham’s trip to Old Trafford and he remains fully focused on the positives from their recent match.

“It was a tough game against Bournemouth, but we showed good fight after conceding early on and in the second half we kept pushing until the final whistle,” Areola said, as quoted by the official West Ham website.

“We got the point in the end, and we have to use that now and make sure we’re ready for Sunday.

“It’s a good challenge for us to go there and try to get the right result. We’ve shown this season that we can compete with the biggest teams, so we’ll go there confident we can show what we’re made of.”

The Reds will overtake West Ham in the league table if they can clinch three points from today’s game. It goes without saying that this is another must win for Erik ten Hag’s side.

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