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Hart focused on West Ham, not England

SoccerNews in English Premier League 8 Apr 2018

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Joe Hart has claimed he is fully focused on helping West Ham avoid a relegation dogfight, rather than his chances of securing a spot in England’s World Cup squad.

Hart, on loan at the Hammers from Manchester City, has endured a difficult season, with his inconsistent form having seen him spent time out of the team and lose his definite starting spot for England.

However, the 30-year-old put in a man-of-the-match display at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, pulling off a string of fine saves as West Ham held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw.

And even though that performance will have done his chances of securing a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad, if not starting XI, no harm, Hart was adamant his focus sits solely on helping West Ham maintain their Premier League status.

“I’m focused on West Ham, not England, that’s my job,” Hart told Sky Sports.

“We are creating a good spirit in the team, we stick together and today was a good example of that. 

“We are moving in the right direction but in this league you have a smile on your face one day and not the next.

“Stoke [City] next Monday is our game of the season now.”

Hart had to be at his very best to keep Chelsea at bay, with Willian, Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata all running West Ham ragged at times, although it would be defender Cesar Azpilicueta who got the breakthrough prior to the interval.

Chelsea’s domination continued after the restart, but West Ham managed to stand firm – Javier Hernandez coming off the bench to grab the equaliser on 73 minutes.

West Ham could have had a penalty late on when N’Golo Kante lunged in on Marko Arnautovic, but manager David Moyes, whose side sit six points clear of the relegation zone, was pleased with the Hammers’ gritty display.

“We were incredibly committed,” Moyes said.

“I’m not disappointed. I thought we played against a really slick Chelsea team, particularly in the first half, and I was happy to get in only 1-0 down.

“We gave away a really poxy first goal. [Fair enough] if it had been a really good footballing goal [but] it was a bad goal. But we were always in with a chance at 1-0.

“I’d rather talk about how well the team kept at it and gave us a chance. Joe Hart, that’s why he has so many caps and medals at the top level. That will be good for Joe today.

“Maybe on another day we get a penalty late on as well. I’ve always said we need 40 points, we might not need them but we won’t be happy until we get there.”

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