Nuno Espirito Santo made little effort to hide his satisfaction with Manor Solomon's first outing in a West Ham shirt, hailing the Israeli's "wonderful qualities" after a debut goal that briefly looked set to open his account in style. "Solomon played a very good match," the manager said, according to ONE. "I'm happy he found the net, it will greatly contribute to his confidence. He is a super-talented player with the ball, knows how to create excellent combinations on the pitch and brings wonderful qualities to our team."
The praise followed a chastening afternoon at Turf Moor on Sunday, where West Ham led 2-0 with less than 20 minutes remaining before conceding twice late on to draw 2-2 in their first competitive fixture since being relegated from the Premier League - their first season back in the Championship since 2011-12.
Solomon, who joined from Tottenham on 10 August on a three-year deal, was named in Nuno's starting XI and given license to attack down the left. Max Kilman had already headed West Ham in front inside ten minutes when Solomon struck in the 72nd, driving a first-time finish into the roof of the net after Mohamadou Kante squeezed a low ball into the box from the right.
Burnley, playing their own first match back in the second tier, refused to fold. Zian Flemming halved the deficit from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute, then completed his brace deep into stoppage time after West Ham failed to clear a corner, sending Turf Moor into raptures and denying Nuno's side what would have been a perfect start to the campaign.
For Solomon personally, the mixed emotions were obvious. He was substituted in the 89th minute, moments before Flemming's leveller, but still finished the afternoon as West Ham's outstanding performer - completing all four of his attempted dribbles and 23 of his 25 passes while carrying the ball 113 metres up the pitch.
West Ham supporters were similarly effusive in their post-match ratings, marking him among the best players on the pitch and describing him, in fan reaction gathered by ONE, as "exactly the attacking option we were missing" and a "real nuisance" for Burnley's defenders whenever the ball moved forward.
It capped a swift adjustment for the 26-year-old, who arrived at West Ham for an undisclosed fee after struggling to hold down a regular starting role at Tottenham. Nuno had already spoken warmly of Solomon's talent in the build-up to the Burnley trip, and his post-match verdict suggested the manager sees the Israel international as a genuine attacking outlet in a division better known for physicality than craft.
West Ham will hope the late collapse proves a one-off rather than a pattern as they find their feet in an unfamiliar division. On the evidence of his first appearance, though, Solomon looks to have arrived with precisely the qualities his new manager wanted.
