Carabao CupWest Ham United 2-3 Fulham
Tuesday, 15th September 2026
by Chris Wilkerson | Forum match thread
Where were you when history was made? Where were you when Pablo scored his first West Ham goal?
The League Cup may not mean as much as the FA Cup, it might not be as important as the league itself, but on a Tuesday night in London, Pablo went into his 22nd game for the club and finally broke his duck as West Ham went toe-to-toe with Premier League Fulham, only to lose narrowly in a 3-2 defeat.With six changes to the side that decimated Wrexham, Nuno offered some of the younger players in his squad another chance to impress. Against a Fulham that made nine changes, but still lined up with Robinson, Andersen, Kevin, Muniz, Smith-Rowe and the excellent Palacios, they did just that. Whilst defeated, it was a good performance, one that showed this squad is still competitive with a settled Premier League one trying to impress new manager, and quickly forgotten former Hammer, Alvaro Arbeloa.
If there's one thing you seem certain to get at West Ham this season, it's goals, and in a first half mostly controlled by the visitors, The Hammers refused to let the game get away from them, coming back from behind twice to see the two sides go in level at the break.
Nuno's side had the better of much of the second half, but when the cavalry arrived off the away side's bench, it tipped the scales in their favour, an Oscar Bobb goal making it 3-2 with just over 10 minutes remaining to take his side through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
The Hammers pushed for an equaliser, and should have had one when the usually reliable Castellanos wasted a glorious chance late on, but just fell short in an engrossing 90 minutes of football.
Defeat puts an end to a six-game unbeaten run, as well as a journey in the League Cup that had been fun throughout, although they might not regret the chance for a midweek off when the competition resumes in a busy October.
Not that West Ham let this game slide. Late substitutions for Bowen, Solomon, Castellanos and Piroe showed the manager did not want to sacrifice the tie. In the end, it was that Premier League quality in a dangerous area that decided it, but The Hammers can be delighted with how they competed with a rotated line-up against top division opposition.
It was also another entertaining game, which is what we're coming to expect from Nuno's Championship Hammers. Full of running, energy, skill and confidence, this team is making the football fun again, and it has been years of waiting for that.
The game started on a poignant note, a minute of applause for Ludo greeted loudly, as Soucek walked from the centre circle carrying an old Miklosko goalkeeper shirt to the West Ham fans, leaving the shirt with his name up behind the goal Herrick would defend from the start.
The Hammers had won four on the spin, coming into this fixture with form that the visitors have been unable to find in a tricky start for their new boss. Arbeloa's side had won once this season, a round two victory over AFC Wimbledon. But that gave incentive to his rotated side, everyone playing for a place in a team with only a single point in the league so far.
Even with all those changes, Fulham looked the better side from the off, maintaining long periods of possession in a first half they will feel they dominated.
The West Ham midfield struggled to get a grip on the game, possibly managing the balance as Kante lined up on the left wing, Mukasa the right, allowing Orford and Engels to hold the middle. Ajala and Pablo played as a front two, and a mixture of Fulham's experience and prowess in those central areas, combined with having an extra man and the West Ham four not being quite sure of themselves as a unit gave the away side control in the middle.
88% of possession after 10 minutes showed their dominance. It hadn't come with major threat, but 13 minutes in, they made their possession count.
The West Ham manager can feel aggrieved by how his team defended the goal. A cross from the right was overhit, but Walker-Peters was slow getting out to Robinson as he gathered on the left wing. Palacios made an underlapping run without anyone following him, and managed to just keep the ball in as Robinson rolled it down the line to him.
He dug out a cross to keep the move going, and found Muniz perfectly, the striker darting into the space at the near post to nodding it across goal from six yards out to give his side the lead with the simplest of moves.
That insecurity down the West Ham right defensively was a key route to goal for the visitors, Mukasa and Walker-Peters never getting hold of it, and the midfield pair often following runners into positions they'd ideally have found one of the wide midfielders retreating to, which pulled the team apart and opened up spaces.
But it doesn't take dominance to score a goal, and West Ham were level within three minutes. After winning a freekick quickly from kick off, The Hammers threatened. Engels's first ball was flicked behind by a Fulham head, and the subsequent corner was desperately cleared to the edge of the box.
Mukasa got to it first, passing the ball wide to Engels, who curved his run to get around the ball and deliver a delicious cross to the far post, where Mavropanos had drifted, wide of the six-yard box.
He headed back across goal, and did so perfectly, finding Morato six yards from goal, the big Brazilian flying at the ball and powering a header emphatically into then back of the net to score his first Hammers goal and put him on a goal and an assist from his two starts at left back.
There were glimpses from the attacking players, Ajala hauled down inches short of the box after quick and clever footwork beat his full back and drew Andersen into a challenge he couldn't win, but Fulham remained the more dangerous.
They nearly got in with 10 minutes to go of the half, smart play from Muniz dropping deep to unleash the run of Reed behind him, but just as he slid Palacios in, the Argentine saw Walker-Peters and Mavropanos recover at the last moment and squeeze him out when he may have shot through on goal had they been a second later.
It mattered not. Seconds later, Fulham had their lead again. Again, allowing Premier League opposition a bit too long on the ball was costly. Andersen, a strong passer in defence, was allowed to waltz forward in his own half and then deliver a lovely diagonal ball over the West Ham backline.
Palacios sprinted through, Orford the only one close to chase him, and did excellently to just dink it over Herrick as the goalkeeper rushed out and dived at his feet to smother. It was just a little stab, enough to drop over the goalkeeper and then bounce across goal and into the far corner for 2-1.
Ajala nearly benefitted from an error in the Fulham defence, his dangerous shot blocked when flying at goal, and Fulham were reminded that their opponents were in good form.
Still, they should have extended that lead, an uncharacteristic error in possession from Kilman just gifting the ball to his opposition needlessly, with the defence 30 yards from goal.
It was instantly played through and Muniz would have expected to score as he drilled it diagonally across goal from the right of the area, only for the quick reactions of Herrick to save the day, the goalkeeper brilliant to get out to him quickly and then dive low to palm wide.
That looked to be the last action of the half, but then came a miracle. The Hammers put the pressure on as time drifted into stoppage time. Any time it was cleared, it was a West Ham player onto the second ball, keeping the ball with the home team and maintaining that pressure.
Having probed around the box, looking for space, finally Walker-Peters found it down the right wing. He drilled it low across goal. It flicked off the heel or instep of Kante's foot and arrowed towards the far corner, forcing a great save as Lecomte palmed it wide.
But his save only pushed it to Pablo, who was not only onside, but remarkably composed. The Portuguese striker finished it like a man with plenty of goals behind him, showing no nerves or trepidation, firing it into the back of the net from a very tight angle with his weaker left foot.
It smashed into the back of the net for the loudest cheer of the night, Pablo sprinting and jumping as he roared towards the home fans in celebration. That one meant something, the emotion clearly on show. What a relief that must be, and you could see everyone of a West Ham persuasion could not have been happier for one of the team's more likeable players.
West Ham had fought back into the game well, and the late goal seemed to give them confidence going into the second half. It helped that Nuno made some tweaks, Ajala moved to the wing and Kante acting as more of an advanced midfielder rather than leaving a strict front pairing.
The wide players were soon replaced, with Bowen and Solomon coming on six minutes into the half, replacing Mukasa and Ajala.
The changes helped to put a halt to Fulham's left side overwhelming West Ham at the back. For maybe 20 minutes of the half, the home side were the better team.
Bowen was nearly decisive with his first involvement, curling a cross in at goal that Pablo was inches away from meeting in the six-yard box. Any touch would surely have found goal. Down the other end, Robinson forced Herrick into a comfortable save.
Castellanos replaced Pablo with 25 minutes remaining, and slid a pass through to Solomon. The defence caught him, but the winger faked well to beat Cuenca in the box, before the covering Castagne blocked his shot wide. Mavropanos should have scored from the corner, getting highest to meet Bowen's curling delivery, but putting it a yard wide heading down from six yards out.
Then Fulham made all their changes. In the space of five minutes, five changes were made, bringing in four of the starters from their weekend draw at Anfield. It was Bobb who proved the decisive change, although the substitutions did help Fulham grapple back the momentum to their favour.
Kante was dispossessed on the edge of the box, and it dropped to Bobb on the right wing. Without hesitation, he drove off the wing and at the area, with Walker-Peters backing off in fear of the pace Bobb flew at.
He shifted it to the left, beat Walker-Peters in the box, then immediately shot, striking it through the legs of Kilman. It flew off the defender and rifled into the back of the net, Herrick left unsighted and then reacting to a rocket that hit a deflection from 12 yards out.
Moments before the goal, Magassa had been waiting to come on. Whilst it was nice to see him alive, the manager sat him down with a deficit to chase. On came Piroe and Scarles instead. West Ham chased the goal, and they should have found one.
Bowen had a sighter, Solomon reacted well to a loose ball to play Bowen in on the right side of the area, but he blazed high and wide when trying to smash across goal with his right. But it was Castellanos who wasted the best chance.
Great play down the right led to Bowen firing a low ball across the face of goal. It beat Piroe and the defenders running at the front post, leaving it rolling to Castellanos in the middle of goal. He had 60% of an open goal, but was too casual with his finish, passing it right at the defender on the line in the middle of the goal. It was cleared, and away with it went West Ham's run in the league cup.
They were lucky not to concede another late on, Mavropanos allowing a ball to bounce over him with two Fulham forwards in pursuit. When it dropped, he tried to pass back to Herrick, but left it very short. Palacios took it, ran across the box and left Herrick floored and beaten, only to scuff his shot wide having done the hard part.
Pablo scored and Magassa was found, maybe that was just too much glory, maybe the cup run just had to end. It's a chance at winning a competition gone, and nobody should ever be happy to miss out on a trophy. But it does give The Hammers a rest midweek, a game that would have been sandwiched between a trip to St Mary's and the visit of West Brom, two of the better sides in the Championship, both of whom have earned the same points at West Ham this season.
Elsewhere, Bristol's loss to Lincoln and a draw between Middlesbrough and Millwall mean West Ham remain on top of the league going into Saturday's derby with Millwall. That softens the blow.
Manager's Rating
Nuno Espirito Santo: 7/10 The system was an issue in the first half, but he adjusted it well and made good changes. Great to see Ajala, Herrick, Orford and Kante start, maybe could have given Boiro some time and Magassa, too.
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Click to view all West Ham United vs Fulham 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
Click on any player's name to view their full KUMB bio, including all historical match notes and ratings/10.Finlay Herrick
Couple of moments on crosses where he looked shaky, but one really good save against Muniz. Whilst he didn't do much wrong on any of the goals, you can imagine he's frustrated he didn't make much of the small margins and stop one of them.
Kyle Walker-Peters
A little exposed by Bobb on the goal, although he's got a very difficult job with it, and was often left short of support in the first half. Good work on the Pablo goal though.
Morato
Unlucky to be withdrawn, he defended well and delivered at the other end.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Exposed through the middle a few times, a second game in a row where he's passed directly to an opponent in a dangerous position, and missed a very good chance to score.
Max Kilman
Much the same as Mavropanos, including a similar loss of possession needlessly that presented Fulham with a chance.
Arne Engels
Some good work in the middle and the three deliveries that led to the first goal were fantastic, but wasted some strong positions later on.
Lewis Orford
Let down a little by a midfield that just didn't work in the first half, the balance off. But he passed well and looks authoritative in possession even against Premier League players.
Divine Mukasa
Moments here and there, but otherwise on the fringes of things on the wing and didn't look suited to it.
Mohamadou Kante
Better when used more conventionally and his strong running from midfield is a threat, and it showed today he can use it on the counter. But he never settled in the game, was absent defensively on the wing, and lost possession for the third.
Josh Ajala
Deserved a little longer to show his skills, the team looking much better in the adjusted shape. But he did have some great moments where his speed and guile were a threat.
Pablo Felipe
He scored! Pablo scored! Let the goals flow!
Substitutes
Jarrod Bowen(Mukasa 51') Came on with energy and threat, created big chances, but maybe should have done better with his own.
Manor Solomon
(Ajala 51') Much the same as Bowen. Starting to look sharp.
Taty Castellanos
(Pablo 64') Reasonable cameo, with good energy, but then absolutely wasted a sitter.
Ollie Scarles
(Morato 83') Neat and tidy, barely noticed.
Joel Piroe
(Orford 83') Didn't really get into the game.
Mads Hermansen
Did not play.
Ezra Mayers
Did not play.
Airidas Golambeckis
Did not play.
Soungoutou Magassa
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Finlay Herrick, Kyle Walker-Peters, Morato, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, Arne Engels, Lewis Orford, Divine Mukasa, Mohamadou Kante, Josh Ajala, Pablo Felipe.Goals: Morato 16 Pablo Felipe 45 .
Booked: None booked. .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Fulham: Lecomte, Castagne, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Larsson (Angel 63), Reed (c) (Charles 63), Smith Rowe (King 69), Kevin (Bobb 69), Palacios, Muniz (Garcia 68) .
Subs not used: Leno, Bassey, Affengruber, Berge.
Goals: Muniz (13), Palacios (37), Bobb (78).
Booked: Smith Rowe.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Gavin Ward.
Attendance: 41,808.
Man of the Match: Pablo Felipe.