Soccer
Mateus Fernandes says West Ham 'have to believe' after latest loss leaves them on brink of relegation
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West Ham United are on the verge of dropping to the EFL Championship after a 3-1 loss to hosts Newcastle United on Sunday, but Mateus Fernandes is urging his side to keep the faith.
The Hammers remain two points behind Tottenham Hotspur, the team they need to surpass in order to confirm their place in the Premier League next season. A Spurs win on Tuesday against Chelsea or next weekend against Everton would cement West Ham's place in the second tier, with the Hammers' hopes now hanging by a thread.
Despite the desperate situation they find themselves in, the Hammers were second-best on Sunday nearly from the opening whistle, allowing Newcastle to go up by two goals inside the first 20 minutes and letting the Magpies score a third before Taty Castellanos struck for West Ham's lone goal in the 68th.
Fernandes said West Ham's poor start was their own fault.
"The first 20 minutes was so painful for us," the once-capped Portugal international told Sky Sports. "We have been training all week to do one thing and we arrive here and didn't do it."
The 21-year-old challenged his teammates to fight until the very end, with the Hammers' final game of the season against Leeds providing a potential lifeline should Tottenham stumble against Chelsea.
"This week we just need to believe and do our things," Fernandes said. "It is our responsibility and we need to do much better.
"It needs to be us always. Since the first day it is the players who decide the games. Everyone needs to take responsibility for this moment and be a man."
Facing down a near impossible challenge to stay up, West Ham must remain positive heading into the final matchday of the campaign, Fermandes stressed.
"This is football," he said. "We need to be positive because we have one more game. It is one game that can change everything. We could have put pressure on Tottenham [today], but now it is difficult.
"Of course [I understand the frustrations of the fans at full-time]. We didn't play with full fight and spirit like against Arsenal [last week]. We missed everything - fight, energy, second balls we were every time late.
"It is very hard to think about the future. One game to try to win. It is difficult. Everything can happen. Hopefully they [Spurs] lose against Chelsea and in the last match we go with everything. We have to believe."
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