West Ham boosted their Premier League survival hopes as they recorded back-to-back top-flight wins with an impressive 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the London Stadium.
Looking to build on last weekend’s dramatic 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur and put pressure on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest ahead of their trip to highflying Brentford on Sunday – live on Sky Sports – Nuno Espirito Santo’s side found themselves in dreamland after a goal from Crysencio Summerville, a Jarrod Bowen penalty and a Mateus Fernandes stunner saw them go in 3-0 up before half-time.
Player ratings:
West Ham: Areola (6), Wan-Bissaka (6), Mavropanos (6), Todibo (6), Scarles (7), Bowen (8), Soucek (6), Fernandes (9), Summerville (8), Pablo Felipe (6), Castellanos (6)
Subs: Kilman (6), Wilson (6), Diouf (6), Potts (6)
Sunderland:: Roefs (6), Mukiele (6), Ballard (7), Alderete (6), Mandava (6), Hume (6), Sadiki (7), Le Fee (6), Mundle (6), Mayenda (6), Brobbey (7)
Subs:: Cirkin (6), Talbi (6), O’Nien (6), Isidor (6), Diarra (6)
Player of the Match: Mateus Fernandes
The home side were helped massively by Sunderland producing an uncharacteristically lacklustre first 45 minutes in the East End sunshine, perhaps partly due to the absence of captain and influential midfielder Granit Xhaka with an ankle injury.
Crysencio Summerville rises to head West Ham in front against Sunderland
However, such was the quality of West Ham’s display it would be hard to imagine the scoreline being any different even if the Switzerland international had featured.
Summerville made the crucial breakthrough after just 14 minutes, powering home a close-range header after being picked out by Bowen’s cross from the right, meaning that after a run of 28 games without a goal since October 2024, the winger has now scored in his last three appearances for the club.
Team news:
- Nuno named an unchanged XI from last weekend’s win at Spurs
- Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka missed out with the ankle injury he picked up in last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace
That inch-perfect assist also means the Hammers skipper now has the outright most goal involvements for the club in Premier League history [62 goals, 40 assists], moving one clear of Michail Antonio.
The hosts doubled their lead 14 minutes later after Trai Hume caught Oliver Scarles in the area, with Bowen keeping his cool from the spot to move further clear of Antonio, before the crowning moment of the half came two minutes before the interval.
Bowen converts a penalty to double West Ham’s lead against Sunderland
Fernandes – who has impressed greatly since being brought in from Southampton last summer – was afforded too much time and space to line up a shot from 30 yards, with the 21-year-old Portuguese’s effort flying past a helpless Black Cats No 1 Robin Roefs.
Regis Le Bris rightly made a triple change at the break – the Sunderland boss could have taken off all 10 outfield players – with his players responding by controlling the second period.
Mateus Fernandes celebrates after firing West Ham into a 3-0 lead against Sunderland
However, the Black Cats only had Brian Brobbey’s header midway through the half to show for their improved efforts, with the most noteworthy action thereafter coming off the pitch when Xhaka became involved in a heated and long-running confrontation on the visitors’ bench with a West Ham fan that was viewed and then cleared by the Video Assistant Referee.
That incident failed to spoil the Hammers’ day as Nuno’s side, who were unlucky not to add a late fourth when that man Fernandes hit the underside of the bar with another long-range special, moved to within just two points of Forest after a third straight win in all competitions for the first time since November 2023, while Sunderland stay in ninth.
Fernandes scores from long range to put West Ham 3-0 up
What the managers said…
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo:
“It was a good performance, we got momentum the way we started, we were really accurate and had good finishing, which helps the players’ confidence, so it was a good first half.
Summerville celebrates after giving West Ham the lead
“The second half was a big step in how we managed the game, they scored, but the boys stayed calm and composed, no one went crazy and overall it was a good performance.
“But we must keep working hard and trying to make things happen. The players are staring to connect better, the flow, they realise what we have to do – we must keep realising, though, we are in a tight position and football is present, so let’s enjoy today.”
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris on the apparent altercation involving injured Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka and some West Ham fans behind the Sunderland bench:
“The bench is too far from the sideline so I don’t know what happened,” he said. “We don’t want to think about that – we are thinking about us. We were not at the level. It can happen.”
He added: “They were better than us, they could have scored more. Better in duels, more composed.
Granit Xhaka was involved in an altercation with a West Ham fan at the London Stadium
“It was too far from our standards and you get punished in this league when that’s the case.”
Where would West Ham be without Captain Fantastic?
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Rich Morgan:
You really have to wonder just where West Ham would be right now without their skipper Jarrod Bowen, who once again led from the front with a captain’s display as they recorded a massive win over Sunderland to breathe new life into their bid to beat the drop.
Jarrod Bowen celebrates after scoring West Ham’s second goal against Sunderland
Bowen, 29, revealed recently how he was “hating” the situation he and his Hammers team-mates found themselves in at present as they look to move out of the relegation zone, but the forward will be in better spirits this evening.
After the game Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo rightly eulogised about the England international, saying: “We are very lucky to have him, he is a captain who leads by example, takes us forward, fights for every ball and is always dangerous.”
Which pretty much sums up Bowen’s all-action display on the righthand side of West Ham’s now dangerous-looking front three as he first created the key opener on a plate for Crysencio Summerville to nod home, before keeping his cool from the spot to soon double the hosts’ lead.
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Jarrod Bowen discusses West Ham’s first half of the season and how he looks to turn it around to avoid relegation.
And just to emphasise Bowen’s growing stature at the London Stadium, not only has he now scored and assisted in 11 different Premier League games for West Ham – the most of any player for the club, overtaking Paolo Di Canio (10) – but he also became the Hammer with the outright most goal involvements in Premier League history (103 – 63 goals, 40 assists), moving clear of Michail Antonio (101 – 68 goals, 33 assists).
Story of the match in stats…
What’s coming up in the Premier League?
