Premier LeagueSunderland 3-0 West Ham United
Saturday, 16th August 2025
by Chris Wilkerson | Forum match thread
The excitement was replaced by a slap of reality as West Ham began their season with a meek 3-0 defeat to newly promoted Sunderland.
A promising first half was quickly forgotten as The Hammers faded and allowed Sunderland to bully them and score two headers that gave the returning Mackems all three points.Less than three months since it all ended, the party started again, a raucous Stadium of Light about as loud a host as you could find as The Hammers kicked off.
Decked out in the new third kit, there was at least one surprise in the lineup, Guido Rodriguez given the start where some may have expected young Freddie Potts. With him came two debutants, El Hadji Malick Diouf and newest signing Mads Hermansen making their first competitive appearances.
The Hammers started brightly in a first half that fizzed by. Bowen tested Sunderland's new goalkeeper inside three minutes, picking the ball up centrally and driving to the right. As he pushed into the box, skipping challenges, he tried to hit low and hard across goal with his right, but Roefs was equal to it and deflected the effort wide.
There was little time for West Ham's new goalkeeper to settle, a wonderful run from Diarra getting the midfielder into the box, beating Aguerd outside the area and playing into the feet of Mayenda on the edge of the box. The striker flicked it back into his path and Diarra was through down the right side of the area, and his firmly hit effort was parried wide well by the debutant.
The Dane was making a clear difference in possession, composed with the ball at his feet and happy to draw pressure and take a man out of the game by passing around him. The defenders could split wider, with Hermansen capable of being a real extra man in possession.
The hosts worked hard and allowed their opponents no rest, responding to their home crowd to ensure the visitors had an uncomfortable afternoon.
That said, The Hammers were happy on the ball, playing almost double the passes of the home side in the first half, but moving the ball too slowly when trying to switch play and make use of their width.
There were glimpses of what might be, what the coach is trying to get from his players in attack.
On 25 minutes, Bowen was flicked into the area by a clever Fullkrug touch, but with three men quickly around him, the captain tried to beat a second man when he needed to take his chances and shoot.
Minutes later, it did all click, and it looked sensational. Wan-Bissaka cut men out playing a sliding pass from the right wing and Bowen quickly opened his body up and beat his man.
He squared to Fullkrug, who again played a clever flick pass, this time moving it on left again, and right into the path of both Ward-Prowse and Diouf storming at the free ball on the edge of the box.
It was the wing-back who got onto it, and his finish was great, passing firmly back across goal and beating Roefs, but only to see Ballard sliding in and blocking the ball as it was destined to roll into the back of the net.
Diouf was away down the left a minute later and tried to drive a ball across the face of goal, but Fullkrug couldn't get proper contact on it to flick at goal.
It was these moments that gave Hammers hopes going into the second half, but that and the 0-0 going into the break were the best West Ham would get.
Sunderland came back out with the same energy they had started the game with, West Ham went missing.
Within a couple of minutes, Mayenda burst behind the defence and chased a ball down the channel, just keeping from going off for a goal kick and clipping it back into the middle. The West Ham defence was static, and they will have been mightily relieved to see Adingra's effort bounce harmlessly wide.
It should have woken West Ham up, but there were no signs of life.
Watching fans will have screamed for substitutions, but as the manager looked to his bench, what stared back at him were the hopeless eyes of a summer wasted. One striker a quick sprint away from injury and a bench full of midfielders and defenders he barely wants. By the end of the game, Soucek and Irving were where Rodriguez and Ward-Prowse had started. A summer well spent.
Guido did at least try put himself about, recovering from the excellent Diarra losing him down the line to chase back and make a fantastic last-ditch challenge, but The Hammers had lost midfield, and that often loses you games.
They were outmatched, Xhaka bullying Paqueta, and whilst he should have been booked for excessive fouling, it was too easy for the Swiss midfielder. Diarra was excellent on his debut, a player signed this summer who had everything Potter's midfield didn't.
Just past the hour-mark, West Ham's anonymous second half got the punishment it deserved, and the Stadium of Light got the goal its fans deserved, too.
It was as simple a goal as you'll see all year, a deep cross from the left hung up high into the middle of the box. Kilman had moved to defend a man in front of him, leaving Aguerd to limply challenge Mayenda for the header.
The defender lost that challenge, and the 20-year-old striker marked his first Premier League game with a leaping header that looped away to the far corner, agonisingly out of Hermansen's reach.
It gave The Hammers a shock, and they started to play a bit more from there. But then, Sunderland were also happy to let them.
The manager reacted, Soucek and Wilson thrown on for Rodriguez and Ward-Prowse as Plan A was abandoned.
As likely as those changes were to make no difference, they were soon chasing a game out of reach as Sunderland doubled their lead.
It came from Paqueta losing possession, a misplaced pass under no pressure that not only didn't need to be played, but ended with a Sunderland corner.
It was headed clear, but out to the right, and little pressure was put on as another big cross was launched into the box.
Hulking centre back Ballard had stayed up. He'd had every corner aimed at his head throughout the game, but with players pushing out of the box, this time he was left with Paqueta, who watched it drop before realising he needed to challenge.
It was far from enough, and Ballard aimed his head to Hermansen's right and beat him to send the home fans into raptures.
Irving was thrown on for Todibo, the back five shelved now, too. He looked livelier than every other West Ham midfielder, appearing the playmaker Paqueta wishes he was, and it wasn't that much of a performance in itself.
His cross did force a chance, Wilson rising to flick a header that cannoned off a Sunderland head and was tipped over by Roefs.
With West Ham pushing forward to try at least spare some dignity with a late goal, it went from a defeat to a pummelling, the home side free to break from a West Ham corner and flood forward.
The Hammers seemed to think they'd halted the breakaway on halfway, which is the only explanation for how Isidor was allowed to waltz into the West Ham half on his own and in acres of space. The pass found him, and he pushed on at goal.
Looking up, he made his way into the box and hit across goal, flicking off the heels of Diouf. It was well within the reach of Hermansen, but the goalkeeper chose to swing an arm at it... and missed.
3-0 flattered Sunderland, but it also felt a fitting punishment for a West Ham performance that was lifeless in the second half. It was the worst 45 minutes since Potter had taken charge, a worrying statement on the first day of the new season.
There are two weeks left of the transfer window, and whilst the parts required to get this team going are still out there and available, that cannot be the way this club approaches a solution. The manager is trying to fix the problems of other managers, and the mess of his chairman. Performances like this will not get the support he needs from the fans, and there is little evidence that, these days, they will look beyond the dugout to where the blame really sits.
Manager's Rating
Graham Potter: 5/10 Too slow to make changes as West Ham came out for the second half and managed to be attendees, rather than football players. But then he turns to his bench and can throw in a group of players he'd rather weren't at the club. It'll be a long year, but he needs to work out that what's best for Bowen is what's best for West Ham.
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Click to view all West Ham United vs Sunderland match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris Wilkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Mads HermansenOne good save early on, combined with his comfort in possession made it a good start. But the three goals in the second half did not promote positivity, the first with question marks over him, and the third a clear goalkeeping error.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Didn't make much impact on the game, but quick feet in possession and an eye for a pass meant he was still better than most.
El Hadji Malick Diouf
Naive defending at times, pressing forward on players alone when it needed to be the group or not at all. But could have scored, only stopped by majestic defending, and looked up to the fight of the Premier League. That is a very big positive.
Jean Clair Todibo
Proactive and tried to carry forward to ensure the ball could progress from the back, but struggled as Sunderland packed the middle. Lacks pace to push down the wing.
Max Kilman
Somebody needs to command at the back, and it's a shame that Aguerd coming back in is not the defender to take that responsibility off Kilman. He could have stayed with Mayenda for the first goal, but Aguerd should have done much better. His own individual work wasn't bad.
Nayef Aguerd
Good on the deck, bad in the air: the Nayef Aguerd West Ham story. Doesn't like it when the going gets tough, and whilst he's a fine individual player, he compounds weaknesses this defence already has.
Guido Rodriguez
The least offensive of the midfield group, but still not good enough. He made the odd good challenge and moved into gaps on and off the ball, but he's a bit of a passenger. And that's at his best.
James Ward-Prowse
Unfortunately for Ward-Prowse and for West Ham, he is another on the long list of midfielders at the club who doesn't complement any of the others. Keeps possession ticking over and works hard, but the dynamism, power and guile that he lacks are also what the midfield lacks entirely.
Lucas Paqueta
The myth of the man does a lot of heavy lifting, because the reality is a Brazilian rolling around on the floor and/or losing the ball in dangerous areas. The second goal comes from Paqueta misplacing a pass in his own defensive third, and under no pressure. If there is a buyer out there willing to drop serious money, he needs to be driven there and wrapped in a bow.
Jarrod Bowen
Flashes of what makes him tick, but he's now too far forward to get involved. That was fine when he was a player who couldn't run games for West Ham, years ago as he established himself, but these days he's the best player and the impetus for this team. To be shadowing Fullkrug is wasting him.
Niclas Fullkrug
Nice flicks that will suit some of Potter's intricate football are not quite enough to hide that he's not mobile enough to thrive in a Premier League team that doesn't dominate. He'd make a great option for a title-chasing team who can carry him, but this team is not good enough to do that.
Substitutes
Tomas Soucek(Ward-Prowse 71') Didn't make any impact. Didn't seem to be bombing into the box, so he was just a unit to throw on for set-pieces, which were bad before he went on but even worse after.
Callum Wilson
(Rodriguez 71') To his credit, he had a sense of danger about him, getting close to loose balls and a header on a cross. He had more about him than Fullkrug, whose cute touches come from standing still.
Andy Irving
(Todibo 82') Looked a far better playmaker than Paqueta, with decent crosses from that lovely left foot.
Alphonse Areola
Did not play.
Kyle Walker-Peters
Did not play.
Ollie Scarles
Did not play.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Did not play.
Edson Alvarez
Did not play.
Freddie Potts
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Mads Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Jean Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Nayef Aguerd, Guido Rodriguez, James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Fullkrug.Goals: None.
Booked: Max Kilman .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Sunderland: Roefs, Hume, Ballard, Seelt (Alderete 53), Reinildo, Xhaka (c), Sadiki, Diarra, Talbi, Adingra (Le Fee 76), Mayenda (Isidor 76).
Subs not used: Patterson, Neil, Roberts, Rigg, Jones, Guiu.
Goals: Mayenda (61), Ballard (73), Isidor (90+2).
Booked: None.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Rob Jones.
Attendance: 46,233.
Man of the Match: Guido Rodriguez.