Had Callum Wilson’s stoppage time equaliser not been ruled out by VAR, West Ham United would have avoided defeat at the London Stadium for a ninth successive match in all competitions a fortnight ago against the newly-crowned champions.
Arsenal breathed an almighty sigh of relief a fortnight ago when the luckless Pablo Felipe was deemed to have fouled David Raya before Wilson slammed home.
This, coupled with Leandro Trossard’s neat finish, ensured West Ham United would lose on home soil for the first time since Nottingham Forest triumphed in the capital on January 6th.
Nuno wants to make YOU proud – so where do you think we finish in the table when all is said and done on Sunday?!
Nuno Espirito Santo talked up an improved London Stadium record with real pride in recent times. Home advantage really could be exactly that, then, when the Hammers host Leeds in Sunday’s 4pm decider. One home defeat in nine.
Relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur, in contrast, have suffered six home defeats in the same four-month timeframe. A record centre-back Micky van de Ven described as ‘unacceptable’ as Everton boss David Moyes looks to give the Hammers one last gift on matchday 38.
West Ham’s home record is far better than Tottenham Hotspurs
Van de Ven has witnessed Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham themselves all triumph at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since the start of 2026.
The Dutch international knows that there will seldom be a more nerve-wrecking place on planet earth than the Spurs terraces this afternoon.
“Obviously, we play for a massive club. The situation we’re in right now is unacceptable, and we all know that,” Van de Ven tells Sky Sports. “Every player here at the training ground knows it’s unacceptable to be in this situation.
“The gaffer [Roberto de Zerbi] keeps saying to us; ‘You need to play with pride. You need to be proud to put that jersey on, to play with that badge on your chest. You need to be proud of it and show it when you go out there, that you’re not scared, that you’re not afraid of anyone. Just show that you’re proud to play with this jersey’.
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Everton's impressive away record gives us hope! 🤞
Everton face Spurs as Van de Ven speaks on miserable season
That, though, is easier said than done.
De Zerbi’s mixed beginning has been checked by a midweek defeat at Chelsea and a 1-1 home draw with Leeds, West Ham’s final day opponents. Successive winless outings took an enthralling relegation battle down to the very last kick of the season.
Playing with pride, confidence and verve is not something Spurs have managed with any consistency across three different head coaches and nine months of football.
“Obviously, the home form hasn’t been acceptable,” Van de Ven accepts. “We have a massive game on Sunday now to change that and just to win at home, and I think that’s the most important thing. We’re going to need the fans for that, and we know they’re going to stand behind us.
“So, hopefully, we can make it a beautiful game.
“Most important is that we just need to play our own game. The fans are nervous as well in the stands, and they’re going to check the West Ham score obviously, over and over again. But we just need to focus on our game, stay calm, and do what we need to do.
“There are probably going to be reactions from the crowd depending on the game from West Ham, but the most important thing is we just keep focused on our own game and get our own result in.”
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