West Ham United boosted their Premier League survival hopes with a crucial 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the London Stadium. The win, their second consecutive triumph following last weekend's victory against Tottenham, reduced their deficit to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to just two points. Less than two weeks ago, Nuno Espirito Santo's side were seven points adrift of safety.
Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring in the 14th minute, marking his third goal in as many matches. Jarrod Bowen doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after Trai Hume tripped Ollie Scarles in the area. Mateus Fernandes added a third from 30 yards out in the 43rd minute, putting West Ham 3-0 up at half-time for the first time since April 2023 under former manager David Moyes.
Brian Brobbey pulled one back for Sunderland in the 66th minute after Nordi Mukiele's cross. The away side struggled without captain Granit Xhaka, who missed the match due to an ankle injury. Sunderland have not won away in the league since 25 October.
Bowen breaks record
Bowen's penalty was his first goal of 2026 and helped him surpass Michail Antonio's record of 101 Premier League goal involvements for West Ham. The forward also provided an assist during the match. Fernandes delivered a fine midfield display in place of Lucas Paqueta, who was absent with a sore back amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding his future.
Transfer activity
Guido Rodriguez was missing from the West Ham squad ahead of a move to Valencia. The club are close to signing Fulham winger Adama Traore. James Ward-Prowse appeared on the bench after being frozen out by Nuno.
A few hundred West Ham fans protested against the club's owners by staying away for the first 15 minutes of the match. Xhaka was involved in an incident with a West Ham supporter from the bench during the closing moments.
Nottingham Forest face Brentford on Sunday in a match that could impact the relegation battle. West Ham's recent form has instilled cautious optimism among supporters, though the team has not kept a clean sheet since August.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
