West Ham capitalized on a Bernd Leno-Calvin Bassey blunder to secure a valuable 1-0 win at Craven Cottage, but they remain in the Premier League relegation zone.
Nottingham Forest’s unlikely draw with title-chasing Man City means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side remain third bottom, but Crisencio Somerville’s pounced victory in the London derby means they are now just four goals from safety on goal difference.
Their supporters certainly believe now. They chanted “We’re awake” before a chorus of “Tottenham Hotspur, we’re coming for you” played during the celebrations after full-time, drawing their rivals into this scrap of survival. Spurs are currently just one point behind and host Crystal Palace on Thursday.
It was vital that West Ham bounce back from Saturday’s heavy defeat to Liverpool as they next face Man City and Aston Villa in the Premier League. And with the help of their hosts, they did just that.
Fulham, chasing a third successive league win to boost their dreams of European qualification, were fortunate to not concede a first-half penalty when Alex Iwobi tipped his arm into the near post corner. And Leno and Bassey’s mistakes summed up their lack of sharpness.
Leno smashed the ball outside the area, but then left the ball for Bassey. Bassey left it with Leno. Somerville came back to life and used some smart touches to slot the ball into the goal, much to the delight of the away fans.
However, it can be said that Fulham have put in a huge effort themselves. Matheus Fernandes escaped a second yellow card for a foul on Josh King and Marco Silva’s side were also given a late penalty, but it was ultimately ruled that Tom Cairney had fouled Tati Castellanos while shooting, and not the other way around.
They threw themselves forward to respond to Somerville’s goal, but Rodrigo Muniz’s header looped over and Mads Hermansen, who had made a fine save from King just before half-time, made another superb stop to deny Timothy Castagne and keep West Ham clean and claim all three points.
Lacking star man Harry Wilson and the quality of the final third, Fulham missed out on a chance to level on points with Everton in 8th place and remained in 10th place.
Nuno: A special night – but there needs to be more
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo:
“It’s a special night. It’s a tough place to come to. We don’t measure faith. We always had faith and hope. Today was an important day for us. Things haven’t changed. Nothing has changed. We need more.”
“Last week was a bad day for all of us (conceding five goals against Liverpool) but to come here and get a clean sheet is huge.
“We’re more resilient, we’re more organized, our defensive structure is strong enough for our players to press…We’re slowly making progress. It’s important to keep moving forward and continue to recognize that we still need to improve.”
Regarding West Ham supporters, he said: “Today’s fans understood the club’s moment and helped the players a lot. We must continue to fight together.”
Somerville: We must fight to the end.
West Ham’s Crisencio Somerville to TNT Sports:
“We have to fight to the end and that’s what we did. We all knew this was a tough place to come to.
“We have to keep moving forward now. The only way forward is now. Our fans are the 12th man on the pitch.”
Regarding the goal, he said: “It was a good press and we had to stay calm. I’m glad we were able to finish the action.”
“The coach told us we have to stay calm. I took that advice and I’m happy!”
Silva: “Fernandes should have been sent off”
Fulham manager Marco Silva:
“If you give King a foul at that moment, it’s 100 percent a yellow card according to the rules. If you give us a free kick, the game will change completely (because Fernandes will be sent off).”
“It wasn’t a pretty match. The referee’s performance wasn’t up to par.”
Regarding the canceled penalty, he said: “(VAR) John Brooks had a completely different view than the referee. It’s difficult to accept. I don’t want to talk about John Brooks’ decisions every time he’s involved in a Fulham game.”
Analysis: Wilson’s absence felt by Fulham
Peter Smith of Sky Sports:
It has been more than four months since Fulham started a Premier League game without Harry Wilson in the starting XI. But once again they collapsed without Starman.
The Welsh wizard’s absence meant Fulham were unable to win any of their four top-flight games and were severely lacking in quality in the final third against West Ham.
Manager Marco Silva then insisted that the players he had brought in had the quality to make an impact on the game. But if they had that potential, they definitely didn’t show it. It was a blatant display compared to Fulham’s rout of Spurs on Sunday.
Wilson has nine goals and six assists in the Premier League this season. To find a Fulham player who contributed to goal involvement with that volume, you have to go back to the days of Dimitar Berbatov.
Wilson is out of contract this summer, so this was a glimpse of just how big a hole he could leave in Fulham’s attack.
For now, Fulham fans will be hoping for Silva’s assessment that the ankle injury is not serious.
Analysis: West Ham have a Premier League lifeline
Patrick Lowe of Sky Sports:
Big, big three points for West Ham. Nottingham Forest won’t be able to move out of the relegation zone given their surprise draw away to Manchester City, but they are closer to safety with nine games remaining.
They are level on points with Forest and one point behind Tottenham.
It hasn’t been pretty, but Nuno Espirito Santo was right when he said their belief that they would continue to stand was “strong and growing”.
The pressure on the top teams continues to mount and all eyes will be on how Spurs will fare against Crystal Palace on Thursday.
14 points from their last eight Premier League games doesn’t mean they’re slowing down, but is a real lifeline for a side that has the desire and ability to win ugly when it matters most.
The same cannot be said for some of the competing teams.
