West Ham performance may have been a collective effort more than anything else, but there were still a few moments of real individual excellence against a resurgent, Champions League-chasing Manchester United.

Two of which created the host’s opener.

After a first-half devoid of chances – Crysencio Summerville showcased his ‘incredible’ new-found confidence when he stung the palms of Senne Lammens from distance – it took West Ham United only five minutes to break the deadlock in the second 45.

Tomas Soucek HAS to be a West Ham legend now, right? 🇨🇿

What did you make of his goalscoring heroics?

And, in doing so, Tomas Soucek secured a place in the Premier League history books. No Czech player has scored more than him in the competition.

His 39th came via some fine wingplay from Jarrod Bowen but, as a former poacher extraordinaire in Ally McCoist said during TNT Sport’s live coverage, Soucek’s ‘brilliant’ run and finish must not be underestimated.

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Nuno Espirito Santo pays Tomas Soucek tribute after West Ham’s Manchester United draw

Back in November, when Tomas Soucek drew level with compatriot Patrik Berger on 38 Premier League strikes, Nuno labelled the long-serving Hammer a ‘nightmare’ to defend.

His ability to find pockets of space even in a crowded penalty area, Nuno said, was a weapon even the most seasoned defenders struggle to combat at times.

Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire certainly had no answer here.

The evergreen Soucek had leapfrogged Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa in recent weeks, too. This time, he started alongside Potts with Callum Wilson dropping out.

“Having Tomas Soucek in the middle of the park allowed us to contain them better. [Furthermore], Tomas has this quality where he is always able to find space and score,” Nuno said.

“And beside that, he did an amazing job during the game.”

Soucek was arguably West Ham’s standout performer on a night when Axel Disasi, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mateus Fernandes and the aforementioned Freddie Potts excelled with their backs against the wall.

El Hadji Malick Diouf harnessed Amad Diallo excellently, too. A left-back who shot to fame when he outmuscled Bukayo Saka as Senegal stunned England in the summer of 2025 repeating the trick.

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Soucek thanks Jarrod Bowen as he breaks Premier League record

Ever the team player, Soucek was keen to ensure Bowen’s role in his record-breaking goal did not go under the radar.

“I’m really proud to break the record, because I’m always proud of where I am from,” Soucek said. “I am from the Czech Republic, and I want the people there to be proud of me.

“I did my maximum to get this record, after I was level for so long with Patrik Berger, who was an incredible player. Now it’s mine, and I’m so happy. It was a great goal, after Jarrod made a great run, and I was just in the right place at the right time.

“Obviously, the result is tough to take. It’s devastating with how it happened, and it feels similar to what happened at Chelsea [a 2-0 lead becoming a 3-2 defeat] a couple of games ago. But, on the other hand, we have to look at the positives, rather than these small moments.

“We’ve shown how much we care and how well we can play, and we need to build this momentum because the spirit in the changing room right now is so different to a couple of months ago. We just need to keep working and carry on.”