The story goes back to Andriy Yarmolenko cutting in from the right flank to give West Ham a last-minute win over Chelsea at the start of July 2020. David Moyes remembers it as a turning point; the moment everything started to come together. The Ukraine winger’s goal acted as a catalyst, pulling West Ham away from danger during Project Restart, giving them the belief to beat relegation and shed the discord that had threatened to swallow them whole.
Before long they were fighting back from 3-0 down against Tottenham, rescuing a point thanks to a stoppage-time thunderbolt from Manuel Lanzini. Once so flaky, West Ham discovered resilience. They were punchy during the 2020-21 campaign, defying expectations by finishing sixth and qualifying for Europe. They upset big teams and made the London Stadium feel like home.
