West Ham United claimed three huge points in the Premier League’s relegation battle by beating Fulham 1-0 on Wednesday night.
A Crysencio Summerville goal was enough to seal a vital victory for West Ham United, who now go level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table.
Who was your MOTM against Fulham and why? 🤔
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are just one point behind bitter rivals Tottenham too, placing huge pressure on Spurs ahead of their game against Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Here are five things that Hammers News learned.
Former Hammer helps Nuno’s survival hopes
Ex-West Ham star Issa Diop was involved in Summerville’s goal.
A lot of the blame will go onto Bernd Leno, who rushed out to clear lines as Jarrod Bowen and Diop raced for the ball.
Leno was clearly at fault there but Diop’s role also cannot be overlooked.
West Ham fans did not rate Diop that highly and while he is a capable defender on his day, this was a reminder that he can be error-prone.
Safety denied on dramatic day of Premier League action
West Ham are now in the relegation zone on goal difference, which could yet prove crucial come May.
The Hammers looked as if they were on course to end the evening outside of the bottom three for the first time in what felt like an age but Forest eventually got a draw at Manchester City.
Three HUGE points 😍 Rate West Ham’s chances of survival in just one word 👇
The good news is, however, is that Tottenham are now in sight. West Ham have all the momentum, while their rivals are in genuine crisis.
West Ham United hold their nerve
Nuno’s side have had a tendency to throw leads away this season but they stood strong here.
It felt like wave after wave of Fulham attack towards the end there but the Irons held their ground.
That was impressive, considering the difficulties they have endured in protecting leads this season.
This was a must-win game for West Ham and they held their nerve to record yet another clean sheet.
Jean-Clair Todibo vindicates Nuno Espirito Santo
There was some surprise when Jean-Clair Todibo was brought back into the starting lineup at the expense of Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Mavropanos has been excellent for the Hammers of late and it’s unclear as to why Nuno left him on the bench for the short trip across London to Craven Cottage.
Still, Todibo – who hasn’t always impressed while clad in claret and blue – picked up where he left off prior to his red card against Chelsea in late January.
The defender put in a fine showing and proved West Ham’s newfound strength in depth in the backline.
Dreadful first half goes against tradition
Anyone watching that first half would have been forgiven for losing interest somewhat.
Neither team played particularly well, with both goalkeepers relatively inactive.
In fact, it was notably bad in the recent history of this fixture. Not since the 2020-21 season has a first half between these two teams failed to yield a goal.
Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson both had half chances, but the Hammers carried little in the way of attacking threat during the first half.
Frankly, it was at times a rather painful watch.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
