
West Ham United 3-2 Fulham
Tuesday, 14th January 2025
by Staff Writer
Graham Potter's introduction as West Ham United's latest full time 'Head Coach' came just a little too late for the club's FA Cup hopes this season.
Yet in the handful of training sessions he has enjoyed with his new squad since defeat at Villa Park last Friday, the 49-year-old has managed to mould an inconsistent, unconfident squad in to a largely well-drilled unit that just about overcame an in-form Fulham in what proved to be a rare treat for the spectators in Stratford. (Neutrals and purists no doubt equally impressed.)Potter's influence on proceedings was clear from the moment his bold decision to feature Lucas Paqueta at the forefront of a striker-less attack was announced an hour ahead of kick off. Enforced as a result of the absent half-a-team's worth of recognised first team players - Messrs. Summerville, Antonio, Fullkrug and Bowen - the HC ran with Paqueta as a focal point.
It was a decision which initially appeared to have failed to pay dividends as Fulham made the early running, with Paqueta left mostly chasing shadows being, as he was, often left isolated in a manner which may have suited Michail Antonio - but not a player like the fleet-footed South American.
Yet Fulham's profligacy - which in truth by the interval amounted to a bunch of off-target efforts which, to give due credit, included a couple that skimmed off the woodwork - was to West Ham's considerable gain, as the Hammers flipped the game on its head by hitting the back of the net three times within just minutes.
The first occasion drew premature elation from the crowd as Max Kilman's 26th minute header was, following an(other) unnecessarily long VAR review - ruled out for offside - the defender marginally ahead of the deepest defender.
But West Ham had the momentum now and within five minutes the opening goal arrived, via an enforced error, as Edson Alvarez's close attention forced Andreas Pereira to play a square ball directly into the path of an attentive Carlos Soler. The midfielder pounced and fired the Hammers ahead with a classy, controlled effort across the body of 'keeper Leno, racing back towards his empty goal.
The crowd has barely ceased celebrating Soler's brilliant goal before they were applauding another, in which he was also involved.
Little more than two minutes since he sent West Ham ahead, the Spaniard - played in by Mo Kudus - picked out an advancing Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the opposite side of the six yard box. The defender controlled the ball before pulling the ball back for stand-in skipper Tomas Soucek who fired the ball into the ground and up into the roof of the net. 2-0 to West Ham.
Old habits die hard. And even though it was still a metaphorical kick to the stomach, there were few surprised faces in the stands when Fulham halved the deficit after just five minutes of the second period. Alex Iwobi?EUR(TM)s speculative centre was missed by everyone, including Lukasz Fabianski as it sailed into the net. Don't panic.
Fortunately for Potter's men, even though Christmas came and went three weeks ago (already!) Fulham's belated presents kept on coming.
Just at the stage when a West Ham team might've folded in the recent past, Fulham stopper Leno came to the rescue with a gift-wrapped blunder. Dallying on the ball allowed Danny Ings to get a toe on the ball which squirted directly into the path of the industrious Paqueta, who mirrored Soler's first half effort by firing into an empty net.
Time to relax? Don't be silly, this is West Ham. Fabianski was in similarly benevolent mood to that of his opposite number when he allowed Iwobi to find the net from a carbon-copy effort of his first goal, leaving West Ham a goal ahead but 12 minutes shy of the 90.
To which, an additional six minutes were added as many fingernails were bitten while collective thanks were offered to double subs Cresswell and Scarles - the pair combining to deny Fulham what would've been a heart-breaking leveller for the Hammers deep into added-on time.
The three points ensured West Ham moved back above Manchester United and Tottenham to 12th place in the Premier League, with 26 points from 21 games played.
Yet of far greater significance tonight was the much-improved effort of a seemingly refreshed, rejuvenated and inspired squad, an ensemble shorn of several key players yet a collective still able to produce a memorable, winning performance - and the positive effect that had on a home crowd, for whom Prague 2023 already seems so very long ago.
An exciting glimpse into a more exciting and entertaining future for the club under Graham Potter and his team, perhaps? Here's hoping.
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Player Ratings
Lukasz FabianskiMade a couple of solid stops but to be beaten twice by the same delivery doesn't reflect well upon the veteran.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Once again, a whole lot better going forward than defending. Will he ever prevent a cross coming in from his side?

Emerson Palmieri
Not involved as much as usual - a game in which he didn't particularly stand out.

Konstantinos Mavropanos
No glaring errors and his distribution was excellent. One of his better performances.

Max Kilman
Still less than commanding in the penalty area. The problem is West Ham appear to have two centre halfs - or three, if you count the absent Todibo - that would look better alongside a senior partner.

Guido Rodriguez
One of his better games since joining West Ham in the summer. One of several who seem much more at home under Potter already.

Edson Alvarez
A Man of the Match contender. Eddie covered almost every blade of grass - and didn't even get booked!

Tomas Soucek
A quiet game for the stand-in skipper albeit marked by an excellent finish for the second goal. And yes, that was a Cruyff turn you saw in the second half - much to the delight of the home crowd!

Carlos Soler
Like Summerville at Villa Park, this was another recent arrival enjoying the best night of his admittedly short Hammers career so far. Soler excelled with his passing, scored a fantastic goal - don't underestimate how technically difficult that shot was - and played a major role in West Ham's second.

Mo Kudus
That he laid off the ball that led to our opening goal, rather then persevering on his own was a good sign. But there's still a lot of work to do to turn Kudus into a team player. His replacement on the hour mark came moments after he'd been caught unnecessarily offside.

Lucas Paqueta
The hardest he's ever worked for West Ham in a 90. Just look at the numbers - won 12 duels (a WHU record this season), five free kicks, recovered possession seven times and made three tackles. Not bad for someone playing out of position.

Substitutes
Danny Ings(Kudus, 63) Put himself about and forced the error that led to West Ham's third, winning goal. A great little display from the bench.

Andy Irving
(Soler, 72) Produced one sublime pass on the left flank. Industrious and energetic.

Aaron Cresswell
(Emerson, 81) Thrown on to protect the one-goal cushion. Did so with one fantastic block, in conjunction with fellow sub Scarles, in the closing moments.

Ollie Scarles
(Rodriguez, 81) See above. More valuable Premier League minutes under the teenager's belt.

Wes Foderingham
Did not play.

Vladimir Coufal
Did not play.

Kaelen Casey
Did not play.

Lewis Orford
Did not play.

Luis Guilherme
Did not play.

Match Facts
West Ham United: Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Emerson Palmieri, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, Guido Rodriguez, Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek, Carlos Soler, Mo Kudus, Lucas Paqueta.Goals: Carlos Soler 31 Tomas Soucek 33 Lucas Paqueta 67 .
Booked: Lucas Paqueta 0 Tomas Soucek 0 Aaron Wan-Bissaka 0 .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Lukic, Pereira (Cairney 68), Wilson (King 85), Smith Rowe (Traore 68), Iwobi (Muniz 85), Jimenez.
Subs not used: Benda, Sessegnon, Cuenca, Diop, Reed.
Goals: Iwobi (51, 78).
Booked: Castagne, Lukic.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Craig Pawson.
Attendance: 62,456.
Man of the Match: Carlos Soler.