Andreas Pereira proved the hero with a deadly double as Fulham dented West Ham United's European hopes with a 2-0 Premier League win at London Stadium.
The Brazilian midfielder took advantage of slack defending in either half to earn Marco Silva's team their first away league victory over West Ham since 2001.
Lucas Paqueta squandered a big chance to pull the Hammers level before Pereira's second in the 72nd minute, leaving David Moyes' side with just one win from their last six top-flight outings.
Victory moved Fulham up to 12th and just six points behind the eighth-placed Hammers, who had cause for concern late on as youngster George Earthy was removed with a worrying head injury on his Premier League debut.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
How the match unfolded
West Ham’s bright start almost paid dividends but Michail Antonio blazed a shot over from the edge of the six-yard box.
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That missed chance proved costly just nine minutes in as Konstantinos Mavropanos’ clearance set up Pereira to rifle into the roof of the net.
Paqueta almost played the Hammers into more trouble when he gifted the ball to in-form Rodrigo Muniz, though Lukasz Fabianski spared his team-mate’s blushes with a smart stop.
James Ward-Prowse should have dragged his side level on the stroke of half-time but could only thump a close-range header wide.
Fabianski was called into action once more to tip Alex Iwobi’s low shot wide of the far post after the break, before Paqueta saw a header sharply stopped by Bernd Leno.
Paqueta was then at fault for Fulham’s second goal, losing the ball in midfield before Iwobi swept a lovely cross for Pereira to tap in his third goal of the campaign.
An impressive Fulham victory was somewhat marred by Earthy's late head injury as the 19-year-old left the field on a stretcher following a collision with team-mate Edson Alvarez.
Defensive concerns for limp West Ham
Pereira's opener marked the 10th time in 2024 that West Ham have conceded the first goal in a Premier League game and those defensive frailties saw them miss the chance to move sixth in the table.
Only bottom sides Burnley (15) and Sheffield United (16) are on a longer run without a top-flight clean sheet than the Hammers, who have now conceded in their last 13 games in the competition.
After failing to find their attacking edge or the spirit that has seen them earn 19 points from losing positions so far this league campaign, West Ham stay in eighth – two points behind Newcastle United and Manchester United in the European places.
Fulham keep slim European hopes alive
With only five matches remaining, Fulham are making a late case for a place in Europe next season as they sit just eight points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United.
Though Silva's men did not hit the heights of their 5-0 thrashing of West Ham in the reverse fixture, they looked good value for a vital three points to boost their top-seven hopes.
With this victory on Sunday, Fulham also completed their first league double over West Ham since 1965/66, as the Cottagers continue to impress in the 2023/24 campaign.
Club reports
West Ham report | Fulham report
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Key facts
West Ham are winless in their last four home games in the Premier League (D3 L1), their longest run within the same campaign since October-December 2019 under Manuel Pellegrini (six games).
Fulham recorded a league double over West Ham for just the third time, having previously done so in the 1959/60 and 1965/66 campaigns (all in the top flight). This was the first time they’ve won and kept a clean sheet in both matches home and away, however.
This was Fulham’s fourth London derby win of the current Premier League campaign (v West Ham twice, Arsenal and Spurs); their most in a single season in the competition.
West Ham have conceded the opening goal in 10 Premier League matches in 2024; the joint-most of any side, alongside Luton. Indeed, they’ve not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 13 league games – their longest run without one since July 2020 (14).