The unfamiliar sensation coursing through West Ham is hope. Seemingly down and out after losing to Nottingham Forest two and a half weeks ago, the prospect of Nuno Espírito Santo pulling off the unlikeliest of escape acts no longer feels that outlandish now. There is life yet in West Ham, even if they still have a mountain to climb after treating the London Stadium to the rare sensation of a performance full of craft, desire and tactical intelligence.
Sunderland were blown away by three goals inside the first 43 minutes. It is rare for visitors to this ground to lose their composure but this was a day to forget for Régis Le Bris’ side. They were awful during the first half, folding as Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville ripped them apart on the flanks, and it summed up Sunderland’s afternoon when the closing stages of West Ham’s third consecutive win in all competitions were held up by the injured Granit Xhaka getting embroiled in a row with home fans sitting behind the away bench.
West Ham’s intensity had caused the damage during the first half. Bowen was irrepressible on the right and Summerville provided further inspiration with his third goal in as many games. As for Mateus Fernandes, his youthful brilliance in midfield suggested that it would not be that disastrous if West Ham allow Lucas Paquetá to join Flamengo.
For all the positives, though, Nuno still has a huge job on his hands. West Ham remain in the bottom three, two points below Forest before they visit Brentford on Sunday, and the worry is that they have left themselves with too much to do. It is not impossible but the fixtures are not kind and West Ham have not kept a clean sheet since August.
“The way we started was really accurate,” Nuno said. “It helps the confidence. Second half was an improvement in terms of managing the game. Sunderland scored but the boys stayed calm.”
Nuno argued that there has been a change in the mood since the defeat by Forest. “When you work with the smile everything is easier,” he said. “But we know football is day by day. We cannot stop believing.”
West Ham, who are closing in on a deal for the Fulham winger Adama Traoré, built on their win over Tottenham. With Paquetá still nursing a sore back, Nuno named an unchanged side. West Ham were in an old-fashioned 4-4-2, with Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos leading the line, and looked to attack.
Sunderland met the threat by putting Trai Hume on the right of midfield, where he was tasked with tracking Summerville’s movement. However, they failed to adapt to the absence of Xhaka for the first time this season. Le Bris said that the midfielder will be out with an ankle injury for a fortnight. Winless on the road since 25 October, Sunderland have to find a way to cope while their captain is out.
Le Bris could not find solutions here. He matched West Ham’s system but Sunderland were overrun. West Ham committed numbers forward and led in the 14th minute. The hapless Reinildo Mandava showed Bowen down the outside, only for the winger to use his weaker right foot to cross for Summerville to charge in front of Nordi Mukiele, leap like Andy Carroll and head past Robin Roefs.
The home fans, some of whom waited until the 15th minute to turn up as they continued protests against the club’s board, watched in disbelief. They liked Castellanos’s hustle. Summerville, who is shedding the flakiness, is also becoming a bit of a hero on the left wing.
Mukiele and Hume could not contain the Dutchman. West Ham pushed again, Pablo missing a golden chance. Sunderland had chances at 0-0 and 1-0 but they were flimsy at the back. Bowen, who has now overtaken Michail Antonio’s record of 101 goal involvements for West Ham in the Premier League, made it 2-0 with a penalty awarded for Hume’s lazy trip on Ollie Scarles.
Le Bris admitted that Sunderland did not compete well enough. The third goal arrived when a poor clearance dropped to Fernandes, who bent a lovely shot past Roefs from 25 yards.
West Ham had not led 3-0 at half-time since beating Bournemouth in April 2023, when David Moyes was in charge. Three managers later, there is a sense of cautious optimism. A consolation goal from Brian Brobbey in the 66th minute was not enough to derail West Ham.
Not that Nuno is getting carried away. He still wants to “rebalance” his squad before the window shuts. Guido Rodríguez is going, a deal for the midfielder to join Valencia agreed, and that meant there was space for James Ward-Prowse in a matchday squad for the first time under Nuno. West Ham are taking it one step at a time.
