David Martin was reduced to tears after helping West Ham beat Chelsea by keeping a clean sheet on his Premier League debut.
The 33-year-old fell to the ground and was picked up by his West Ham team-mates after Manuel Pellegrini’s side clinched a shock 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Martin, who has had spells at Wimbledon, MK Dons, Liverpool and Millwall, was offered his Premier League debut after Pellegrini opted to drop struggling goalkeeper Roberto for West Ham’s trip to Chelsea. And the veteran shot-stopper justified his inclusion with an assured performance as West Ham relieved the pressure on manager Pellegrini with a first win at Chelsea for 17 years.
Full-back Aaron Cresswell scored the winner shortly after half-time after cutting inside and firing a superb striker past Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
After celebrating with his team-mates, Martin ran up to the press box where his father – West Ham legend Alvin – was watching on. Martin impressed on his Premier League debut (Picture: Getty) Reacting to West Ham’s win, Martin said:
‘It still doesn’t feel real. I’m just pleased got through it, I didn’t let anyone down and actually I enjoyed it in the end. ‘My dad didn’t say much – I think we were both in tears! For my dad to play for the club for 21 years and see it, and for me to make my debut, keep clean sheet and get win for the boys, it is so pleasing. On his pre-match nerves, Martin added: ‘I was struggling to eat for two days, Cressa [Ryan Cresswell] was laughing at me because my plate was taken away because I couldn’t eat my food.’
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