West Ham capitalised on a Bernd Leno–Calvin Bassey mix-up to secure a valuable 1-0 win at Craven Cottage, but they remain in the Premier League relegation zone. Nottingham Forest’s surprise draw at title-chasing Manchester City means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are still third-bottom, though their gap to safety is now only four on goal difference after Crysencio Summerville pounced to win this London derby.
Travelling fans celebrated wildly, chanting “We are staying up” and later “Tottenham Hotspur, we’re coming for you” as Spurs, only a point ahead, prepare to host Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Having been thumped at Liverpool on Saturday, West Ham needed a response before fixtures against Manchester City and Aston Villa. They got it — with a little help from their hosts.
Fulham had a lucky escape when Alex Iwobi appeared to handle at the near post from a corner, but no penalty was given. The decisive moment came when Leno pushed the ball out of his area and then left it; Bassey also left it. Summerville reacted, took a composed touch and arrowed the ball into the net to the delight of the West Ham supporters.
Player ratings
Fulham: Leno (5), Tete (6), Diop (6), Bassey (5), Robinson (6), Berge (6), Cairney (6), Iwobi (6), King (7), Chukwueze (5), Jimenez (5). Subs: Muniz (6), Bobb (6), Smith Rowe (6), Sessegnon (6), Castagne (6).
West Ham: Hermansen (8), Wan-Bissaka (6), Disasi (6), Todibo (6), Diouf (6), Summerville (8), Fernandes (6), Soucek (6), Bowen (7), Wilson (6), Castellanos (7). Subs: Magassa (6), Traore (6), Mavropanos (N/A), Kante (N/A).
Player of the Match: Crysencio Summerville (West Ham)
Summerville has now scored seven goals in his last 10 appearances for West Ham, after managing only one in his first 38 games for the club across all competitions.
Fulham felt hard done by at times. Mateus Fernandes escaped a second yellow for a foul on Josh King, and Fulham had a penalty overturned in the second half when VAR adjudged Tom Cairney to have been fouled by Taty Castellanos while shooting, rather than the reverse.
Team news: Fulham made four changes from the win over Spurs, with Harry Wilson missing out through an ankle injury; Josh King, Samuel Chukwueze, Tom Cairney and Antonee Robinson came in. West Ham made two changes from the Liverpool defeat, with Callum Wilson and Jean‑Clair Todibo replacing Soungoutou Magassa and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Fulham pressed for a response after Summerville’s goal. Rodrigo Muniz nodded wide and Timothy Castagne was denied by a stunning save from Mads Hermansen, who also produced a brilliant stop from King on the stroke of half-time to preserve West Ham’s clean sheet and secure three precious points.
Without Harry Wilson’s creativity, Fulham lacked the final-third spark that had undone Spurs on Sunday. The Cottagers missed the chance to go level on points with eighth-placed Everton and remain 10th.
West Ham have won four of their last eight Premier League games (W4 D2 L2), matching the number of league victories they managed across their first 21 matches this season (W3 D5 L13).
Nuno Espirito Santo: “Special night. A tough place to come. We don’t measure belief. We always had belief, hope. Today was a big day for us. The situation hasn’t changed. Nothing has changed. We require a lot more. Last week was a bad day for all of us [conceding five at Liverpool], to come here and have a clean sheet is massive. We’ve been more resilient, more organised… We are improving slowly. Important to keep going, keep realising we still need to improve. With our fans today, they realised the moment of the club and helped the boys a lot. We have to keep fighting together.”
Crysencio Summerville to TNT Sports: “We have to fight till the end, that is what we did. Everyone knew it was a difficult place to come to. We have to keep going now. The only way is up now. Our fans are our 12th man on the pitch. It was a good pressing move and I needed to take composure. I am happy I could finish the action. The coach said to us we have to be composed. I took the advice and I’m happy!”
Marco Silva: “If you give a foul on King in that moment, 100 per cent sure by the rules it’s a yellow card. If you give that free-kick for us, the game is going to be completely different [because Fernandes is sent off]. The game was not the most beautiful game. The performance from the referee was not at the level. [VAR] John Brooks saw it in a completely different way to the referee. It’s difficult to accept. I don’t want to talk about the decisions of John Brooks every time he’s involved in Fulham games.”
Analysis — Fulham missed Wilson
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith noted it was over four months since Fulham started a Premier League game without Harry Wilson. They have now failed to win any of their top-flight matches without him this season, and his absence was obvious. Wilson has nine goals and six assists in the Premier League this term; his potential departure in the summer would leave a significant void.
Analysis — West Ham have a lifeline
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe called it a big three points. Although it doesn’t lift West Ham out of the relegation zone, it brings them level on points with Nottingham Forest and one point behind Tottenham with nine games remaining. Fourteen points from their last eight league games represent a real lifeline for a side capable of grinding out wins when it matters.
What’s next
Attention now turns to Spurs vs Crystal Palace on Thursday. Fulham and West Ham both have key fixtures ahead as the run-in intensifies.