West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski insists defeat at Chelsea was undeserved.
A much-changed Hammers side put in an industrious showing at Stamford Bridge and looked set to claim a deserved share of the spoils against the Blues on Sunday afternoon, even after losing Craig Dawson to a red card.
However, Christian Pulisic's first-time finish, after a cross deflected into his path, ensured the three points remained in west London and the Irons' hard work went unrewarded.
“I thought we started well against a really strong team," Fabiański reflected. “Losing in the way we did was unpleasant, but it happened and we have to deal with that and look forward.
"We were hoping, obviously, that we could hold on for the draw but then everything happened in the last ten minutes or so. We went a man down but we managed to not concede from the penalty, and you hope you're going to be rewarded for that.
“But in the end, Chelsea managed to create another really good chance and managed to score. It was really tight."
Goalkeeper Fabiański was called upon to save Jorginho's penalty-kick late in the game, which was awarded after Dawson was ruled to have fouled Romelu Lukaku, but the shot-stopper knew Chelsea's quality meant the home side may create another opportunity.
The 37-year-old admitted losing Dawson to the sending off was a huge loss for the Hammers but was proud of how the team managed with a new look to their back line.
He continued: “In my head, even though I saved the penalty, you still know the situation. There are still five or six minutes to play and we had ten men out there against opponents as good as Chelsea. It was always going to be hard, and there might be another chance for them, which there was. We just wanted to stay focused until the end but they got the goal.
“Losing Craig is a massive blow because, looking at our situation, he was our only out-and-out centre-back that we had. To lose him is a bit of a blow but we also showed we could manage it, in terms of the way we played. It's a difficult moment for us but I'm sure we'll come out okay."
