Summerville dedicates his decisive strike to teammate Kudus, crediting him as a mentor and motivator in West Ham’s thrilling 2-1 victory.
Mohammed Kudus played a pivotal role in West Ham’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United, inspiring goalscoring hero Crysencio Summerville to live up to a pre-match promise.
Summerville, who joined West Ham this summer, revealed that Kudus has been a guiding influence since his arrival.
The two share a close bond, which was on full display when Summerville came off the bench to break the deadlock, celebrating by racing straight to the suspended Kudus in the stands.
“I told Mo that when I came on I was going to score and that I was going to celebrate with him!” Summerville said. “I like Mo a lot – I look up to him on and off the pitch, and the emotions all just came out.”
The young Dutchman’s first goal in Claret and Blue brought the West Ham fans to their feet, especially coming against Manchester United, longtime rivals of his former club, Leeds United.
Summerville expressed how important Kudus has been in helping him navigate the challenges of joining a new team and pushing him to stay patient while awaiting his chance to shine. Now, after claiming his first goal, he attributes much of his inspiration to Kudus’ mentorship.
Summerville’s goal opened the scoring before Casemiro equalised for United, but captain Jarrod Bowen sealed the win with a late penalty.
The Dutchman, named Man of the Match, admitted, “I’m very happy with the goal. You always have to be alert in the box, I was switched on, and I was happy to see the ball fall to my feet.”
Summerville believes that Kudus’ positive influence is helping him adapt quickly to life at West Ham. Now, with a third league win lifting West Ham to 13th place, Summerville hopes to carry forward this momentum when they face Nottingham Forest. Reflecting on the team’s camaraderie, he said, “We’re in it all together… the group is fantastic, and we all want to play for each other.”
Kudus is serving a three-match ban after his straight red card against Tottenham.