Lukasz Fabianski has praised Andriy Yarmolenko for his mental fortitude and the way he has coped with the fallout of Russia's devastating invasion of Ukraine.
The Pole was one of the first players to embrace Yarmolenko upon the final whistle with the goalkeeper springing the length of the pitch to lift his tear strewn teammate off the ground and engulf him in a giant hug.
Yarmolenko was making his first appearance for West Ham since Russia's invasion and just 18 minutes after coming on opened the scoring with a superb goal before collapsing to the ground and openly weeping. Emotions were running high around the London Stadium with even the Aston Villa supporters applauding Yarmolenko following his goal celebration.
Fabianski believed that once Yarmolenko was brought on something special was about to happen and the goalkeeper was proved right. He said: "I don't think any of us can imagine what he or his country have been through. We can all try to support or think but it is unimaginable what he has been going through in the last few weeks. He has been very emotional, it was in some ways that once he was back you knew that something magical was going to happen and that was very special what happened here."
David Moyes revealed that Yarmolenko has only trained on four occasions since the invasion began 19 days ago but was still able to complete almost 45 minutes. Fabianski was in awe of his teammate for being able to cope with a situation he called 'unimaginable'.
"He has been training but I don't think any of us can understand fully what he is going through, what his family is going through so I think for me it is hard. All of us try to be as supportive as we could be but on the other hand I don't think it is enough really. It is so special," Fabianski said.
"You could clearly see at the training ground that in a way he was a bit different, which is completely understandable, sometimes you can try to behave to portray that you're fine but deep down you know it's not fine. He is managing that really well but the situation is horrible.
"What he has shown today is amazing, it is beautiful."
Post-match Moyes revealed that Fabianski has played a key role in helping members of the Yarmolenko family flee from Ukraine into Poland.
"Fabianski has been a really big help to him regarding getting into Poland as well. So there has been a real team spirit effort, a real team effort behind the scenes," Moyes said.
Fabianski added that not only was Yarmolenko's performance incredible given the horrendous circumstances he has found himself in but that he did so in an unfamiliar role for West Ham after Michail Antonio's injury: "The whole impact, he played in a position that he doesn't really play. The way we use Michail, he is a completely different player.
"The touch and finish was amazing and his involvement in the play was really good - his runs. You could see that the effort and the heart was there and the amazing quality he possesses.
"The last few weeks we have been hit with injuries and we really need players to be fit, we don't have the biggest squad. What we do have is quality and that is very important. We'll see what happens with Michail and Cress but others are ready to step up."
