Forget the magic of the FA Cup, for West Ham the reality of what is soon likely to be a Championship fixture – an indicator that life in the second tier will be no cakewalk. That QPR took them to extra time will do little for Nuno Espírito Santo’s standing, despite a first win since 8 November.
There were, though, positives to take in the performance of Taty Castellanos, the Argentinian striker who scored the Hammers’ winning goal. Have West Ham at last ended a search for a striker that has lasted almost as long as their London Stadium tenancy? They have looked everywhere.
The other goalscorer, Crysencio Summerville, who supplied the assist for the winner, put in one of his better West Ham performances, too. For one cold afternoon only, the Cup drew a veil over Premier League concerns.
“It feels really nice, so good, really good,” Nuno said, his wait of 64 days for a win ended. “Goals change everything. It’s going to change our week. We can make a step forward. Everything is going to feel better.” Here was uncharacteristic optimism after fresh embarrassment had been averted.
Cheap ticket deals, including kids for a quid, meant the stadium was nowhere near as empty as during the midweek defeat against Nottingham Forest. Youthful voices roared on their Hammers anti-heroes. The contingents from west London were in full voice, too. “We’ll see you all next year,” the QPR crew sang. They have much to tell their east London brethren about supporting a club where Premier League dreams fade to subsistence in the second tier. Their manager, Julien Stéphan, afterwards expressed his pride in “pushing a Premier League team until extra time”.
Among the home fans, the mood was mutinous, as is habitual, with red‑card protests against the stewardship of David Sullivan and Karren Brady, both sets of supporters uniting in the now traditional chorus of the club selling its soul by moving to the former Olympic Stadium. West Ham’s form, and a terrible third‑round record – no club has lost more ties at this stage than the Hammers – gave considerable grounds for optimism.
The closest anyone came amid early tedium was a stooping header from Rayan Kolli, a buzzy Rangers youth product. West Ham’s first shot did not arrive until the 32nd minute, Summerville cutting inside to force a save from Joe Walsh. Both teams suffered the loss of personnel in that gruelling first half, Rangers’ Koki Saito departing with a muscle problem. West Ham lost Konstantinos Mavropanos to a neck injury that required a motorised stretcher and added nine minutes to the half. “A nasty one,” said Nuno. “We need to assesss him for a couple of days. Hopefully he will be OK.”
Bringing on Pablo Felip as Mavropanos’s replacement ripped up Nuno’s five-man defensive plan, the other new signing partnering Castellanos to mirror Rangers’ 4‑4‑2, adding old-school vibes to a time‑honoured capital city derby. The veteran Steve Cook, partnering with the similarly robust Jimmy Dunne in the Rangers defence, threw in a fine blocking tackle to deny Castellanos.
Philippe Clement claimed Josh Sargent refused to play in Norwich’s 5-1 FA Cup victory over Walsall – but insisted the USA striker would not be leaving Carrow Road during the transfer window.
The Canaries dominated their League Two opponents from start to finish, with Jovon Makama (pictured) leading the way with a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to 12.
“Josh sent me a message yesterday evening saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head,” Clement said of a player linked with a move to Major League Soccer’s Toronto. “This is obviously not something we want, and will have consequences … The club has made it really clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving.”
Nigel Clough praised the way his Mansfield team rewarded their supporters in their 4-3 victory at Sheffield United. Louis Reed scored twice against his old club, with Lucas Akins and Rhys Oates also on target, while United’s goals came from Gus Hamer, Patrick Bamford and a Nathan Moriah-Welsh own goal. The hosts had a penalty appeal waved away late on when Bamford went down under a challenge.
Clough said: “When you bring nearly 5,000 fans, although it’s just up the road, there’s a responsibility to put on a performance and have a go, and the players certainly did that. I thought the quality of the four goals we scored – their first one as well – was outstanding.”
United boss Chris Wilder was left to rue “individual errors” which proved costly. He said: “More than disappointing. I didn’t pick a team to get knocked out of the cup.”
Ollie Bostock kept his cool to hammer home the winning penalty in a shootout win at Swansea to bring to an end West Brom’s run of 10 successive away defeats. Having set up a goal for Jed Wallace in extra time to give his side a 2-1 lead, he hit the target following three successive misses to make it 6-5 in the shootout after the teams had been locked at 2-2 after extra time.
Dillon Phillips was the hero as Hull defeated Blackburn 4-3 on penalties after a drab goalless draw. Phillips saved Rovers’ first two attempts from Yuki Ohashi and Moussa Baradji. Hull’s Lewie Coyle was thwarted by Blackburn’s Balazs Toth but Kyle Joseph, Oli McBurnie, Charlie Hughes and David Akintola were all on target. PA Media
West Ham had at last found momentum. Pablo Felipe set off on a run and with Castellanos’s help, held off Dunne. Following that, Soungoutou Magassa set up Summerville to score a goal on half-time. Positives in two January signings playing their part, though Summerville registering only his second Hammers goal is an indicator of the success of the club’s other recent transfer business.
More will follow, according to Nuno. “We still need players coming in that can help us,” he said. “We always want them to come in as soon as possible but it is a tricky transfer situation in which to operate.”
Kolli and Richard Kone, QPR’s attacking duo, were more often found chasing down opposition possession than their own team’s attacks. West Ham failed to heed prior warnings. Karamoko Dembélé’s lithe turn of foot and pirouette opened space, and his cross was met by Kone to nod home. “It was an amazing moment,” Stéphan said of the celebrations. “For a moment I felt I was in Loftus Road.”
Neither team pushed recklessly to reach the fourth round in regulation time. Rangers found chances hard to come by, Kone having only a half chance after more good work from the lively Kolli, whose loss to injury was a blow.
Extra time arrived, with West Ham trying far harder to avoid a shootout. Summerville’s speedy run to the line and his good cross found Castellanos in prime position to nod home the winner.
Positive signs indeed. West Ham will require many more in the coming months to avoid a reunion.
