Crysencio Summerville once again took center stage for West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. The match-winner was named Man of the Match after the FA Cup tie against Burton Albion. In the English media, the 24-year-old Dutchman received plenty of praise once again.
West Ham United needed a late spark to avoid a costly FA Cup slip-up, and once again Crysencio Summerville delivered.
The Dutch winger came off the bench with the tie drifting towards frustration, then decided it in extra time to seal a 0-1 win away at Burton Albion and send the Hammers through to the FA Cup fifth round.
The story of the afternoon was as much about management as it was about match-winning quality. Nuno Espirito Santo had clearly arrived with one eye on the bigger picture. With West Ham locked in a tense fight to stay above the relegation line, protecting key players mattered. Jarrod Bowen, one of the squads most influential attackers, was kept out of the matchday squad entirely, while Summerville started among the substitutes. The original plan seemed straightforward: control the game, avoid unnecessary risks, and get through without burning extra minutes in the legs of a player who has been central to the recent upturn in form.
For long spells, Burton made that plan uncomfortable. The lower league side stayed disciplined, defended in numbers, and turned the match into the kind of cup tie that becomes dangerous for the Premier League team: slow tempo, limited spaces, and rising anxiety every time the clock ticks on without a breakthrough. West Ham saw more of the ball, but clear chances were scarce. Burton, for their part, did not create a wave of opportunities, yet they did enough to keep the crowd engaged and the visitors honest, especially by closing down quickly and forcing play wide where West Ham struggled to find a final pass.
With the score still 0-0, Nuno finally turned to Summerville in the 83rd minute. The change immediately altered the dynamic. Where West Ham had looked predictable, Summerville brought directness and unpredictability: quick touches, sharp changes of direction, and the constant threat of beating a defender in a 1v1. Even when Burton managed to hold their shape, the winger kept probing, repeatedly looking for his signature route inside from the left.
Extra time arrived, and West Ham were still searching for the decisive moment. It came early in the additional period, fittingly through their most in-form attacker. Summerville collected the ball on the left, drove at the defence, and cut inside with that familiar combination of speed and close control. He skipped past multiple challenges, created half a yard, and fired towards goal. The shot took a deflection, but the goal felt earned because the move was pure determination and quality, the exact kind of individual action that breaks a stubborn cup tie.
The performance earned widespread praise in the English media. Veteran football writer Henry Winter highlighted the decisive qualities on show: pace, balance, and the ability to turn a tight situation into a goal by committing defenders and refusing to settle for sideways play. The Guardian framed the moment as a rescue act, pointing out that both teams had struggled to produce chances until Summerville stepped in, drove inside, and spared West Ham the embarrassment of an early exit.
Summerville then spoke to TNT Sports after collecting the Man of the Match award, and his comments underlined both confidence and relief. He acknowledged the difficulty of the away tie and the hard work required, but also explained the thinking behind his decisive action: once the game opened up, he backed his flair in 1v1 situations, tried to cut inside, and leaned into what he called his specialty. He also referenced his recovery from injury, making it clear that being back on the pitch and feeling strong again is a major personal boost, and that he wants to show that level every week.
That last point matters for West Ham, because the cup win sits alongside a league run that has offered renewed belief. West Ham have taken 10 points from their last 5 Premier League matches, a return that has steadied the mood and tightened the bottom-half picture. With 12 league games remaining, the gap to 17th place Nottingham Forest is 3 points, so every positive result, and every sign that a matchwinner is emerging, carries extra weight.
Tactically, the trend is clear. West Ham are leaning more and more on the Summerville pattern: starting wide left, isolating a full-back, then cutting inside to shoot or create chaos in the box. It is simple, but when the execution is sharp it is extremely hard to stop, especially late in games when defenders tire and spaces appear. The Burton tie was a textbook example, with Summerville kept back until the moment the game demanded a different kind of threat.
Attention now turns back to the league. Next Saturday West Ham host AFC Bournemouth in a match that could shape the tone of the run-in. Momentum is building, but the table still leaves little margin for error. The FA Cup progress is valuable for confidence and atmosphere, yet the priority remains clear: keep collecting points, keep the pressure off, and keep using the in-form winger who is currently giving the team a direct route to goals when the game becomes tight.
Updated: 06:39, 14 Feb 2026
