Pablo Felipe's First Goal in Defeat Against Fulham
Pablo Felipe finally had his moment. His first goal in claret and blue, a sharp finish from a tight angle on his 22nd appearance. Yet when the whistle went at London Stadium on Tuesday night, it counted for little more than a footnote.
West Ham United are out of the Carabao Cup, beaten 3-2 at home by Fulham in a third-round tie that swung back and forth before Oscar Bobb snatched it late for the visitors.
First goal, bitter night
Rodrigo Muniz had put Fulham in front, only for summer signing Morato to drag West Ham level and breathe life into the tie. Cesar Palacios then restored Fulham’s advantage, and the home crowd felt the air go out of the evening.
Pablo changed that. Darting into space and squeezing his shot in from a narrow angle, the Brazilian hauled West Ham back to 2-2 and, for a moment, the night belonged to him. It was the breakthrough he had been chasing since arriving in East London.
The script refused to cooperate. Bobb struck late, Fulham advanced, and Pablo’s long-awaited first goal arrived wrapped in defeat.
Relief and frustration
Speaking afterwards, Pablo did not hide the mixed emotions. The relief of finally scoring. The frustration of seeing the team fall short.
"I was very anxious to get that first goal, and it’s just a shame we didn’t get the result," he said. The forward stressed that the display against top-flight opposition had injected belief into the dressing room, even if the cup run ended there.
"We’re not going to lower our heads. We have to keep working and fighting so that we come out better in our next game."
That next game is no ordinary fixture.
Eyes on The Den
The Hammers now turn back to the grind of the EFL Championship, where they have rattled off four straight wins and sit four points clear at the top. Confidence in the league is high. The schedule, though, offers no time to dwell.
Millwall away. The Den. Saturday.
It will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs since February 2012, when West Ham edged a 2-1 win. The rivalry has simmered in the background for more than a decade; now it bursts back into the spotlight with promotion hopes on the line.
Pablo, who joined in January, knows exactly what he is walking into.
"I know there’s a big rivalry with Millwall," he said. "We’re going to be 100 per cent focused. We know it’s an important game, so we’re going to do everything we can to get the win."
He underlined that the squad fully understands what the derby means to the supporters and insisted West Ham will arrive at The Den ready to fight for all three points.
The cup exit stings. But for a club leading the chase and heading into one of English football’s fiercest derbies, the real judgment will come not from a midweek defeat, but from how they respond when the noise rises in South London.
