West Ham looked damaged beyond repair when they fell seven points below Nottingham Forest in early January. Two months on, they could be forgiven for wondering why anyone was worried. It has been a remarkable turnaround from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side and, while there is still a long way to go, they will know that survival is within reach after closing on Nottingham Forest and Tottenham thanks to a resilient victory over Fulham.
The only disappointment for Nuno was that a first win in four games was not enough to lift West Ham out of the bottom three. Yet while they remain below Forest on goal difference, as well as a point off Spurs, the direction of travel is clear. West Ham have momentum. They are scrapping for everything and capitalised on an unfocused performance from Fulham when a rejuvenated Crysencio Summerville scored his seventh goal in 10 games after an error from Bernd Leno midway through the second half.
It was a moment to sum up the transformation in West Ham in the last two months. Where once they were ponderous and feeble, now they are physical and fast. The goal was messy but owed much to Jarrod Bowen’s refusal to give up on a long ball throwing Leno and causing the Fulham goalkeeper to gift Summerville the chance to break the deadlock.
“We always have belief,” Nuno said. “What we need is improvement. We’ve been more resilient, more organised. We’ve been able to, in our defensive organisation, be strong enough to allow our front players to press.”
Lined up in an old school 4-4-2 system, West Ham were assertive with their pressing and troubled Fulham with a direct approach. Chances came for Taty Castellanos, Callum Wilson and Bowen during the first half. Composure was lacking at first. Leno thwarted Castellanos and Bowen betrayed West Ham’s nerves by rushing a shot at the end of a flowing counterattack.
Fulham offered little in response. They missed Harry Wilson, who was absent with an ankle injury. Their flow was disrupted by Tomas Soucek smothering Tom Cairney in midfield. “A disappointing evening,” was Marco Silva’s assessment after seeing Fulham struggle to summon the invention required to pierce a West Ham defence expertly marshalled by Axel Disasi and Jean-Clair Todibo.
The first half was heavy on effort but short on inspiration. West Ham wanted a penalty when Alex Iwobi blocked a corner with an arm. Aaron Wan-Bissaka earned a booking for an embarrassing dive. Fulham wanted Mateus Fernandes sent off when the influential midfielder, who was already on a booking, was harshly deemed to have brought Josh King down on the edge of the area.
“If you give a foul on Josh King in that moment, I am 100% sure it is a second yellow card,” Silva said. “If you give the second yellow card the game is going to be completely different. The performance of the referee was not at the level.”
West Ham breathed a sigh of relief. They pushed at the start of the second half, a Soucek header drawing another smart stop from Leno. Fulham responded through a run from Iwobi. His cutback ran to Cairney, who kicked Castellanos while preparing to shoot. Matthew Donohue, the on-pitch referee, infuriated Silva by reversing his decision to give a penalty after a review.
Fulham’s level dipped. Their passing was messy and their wingers were quiet. West Ham began to dominate. They were sharper, more aggressive, and they led with 25 minutes to go. Bowen raced after a long ball down the right.
The captain’s willingness to chase a lost cause typified West Ham’s desire. Fulham dithered. Leno came out of his area to mop up, only to make a mess by leaving the ball to Calvin Bassey, allowing Summerville to seize possession and guide a nerveless finish into the unguarded net.
West Ham would not be denied. The pressure was intense during the closing stages. Timothy Castagne came on for Fulham and looked set to rescue a point with a rasping effort. Mads Hermansen, written off as a flop not so long ago, continued the redemption arc by making a stunning stop to earn West Ham their fourth clean sheet of the season and keep them dreaming of an unlikely escape.
