West Ham United

Keifer MacDonald
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Only five days ago, West Ham supporters could not wait to leave London Stadium as their side fell 2-0 behind to Leeds United in an FA Cup quarter‑final.

But it was a very different story on Friday, with the home faithful staying until the final whistle to savour every moment of a win that could prove monumental in the battle for survival.

This was a night when everything that needed to go West Ham's way did - and will give them an injection of belief they can retain their top‑flight status.

A double from big‑money January signing Taty Castellanos helped extend their unbeaten run at home to five matches, adding to the sense everything is falling into place at the perfect time for the Hammers.

Jarrod Bowen's return to form at the business end of the campaign continues, with his two assists against Wolves taking him to nine goal involvements in his past 10 games.

It marks a remarkable turnaround from where West Ham found themselves earlier in 2026 - out of sorts, struggling for identity and seemingly destined for a return to the Championship, 14 years after winning promotion via the play‑offs.

But with this victory lifting them out of the drop zone - at least until Sunday, when Tottenham visit Sunderland - West Ham fans may start to feel optimistic about the final six weeks of the season.

We asked for your thoughts after Friday's Premier League game between West Ham and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Joe: Massive win and a clean sheet to go with it. Struggled in the first half but fought for that opener and got the team back into it. Taty and Pablo are a great pair up front, Bowen is clinical with his passing and Mavro is being a beast in the box. Happy Hammers tonight, bring on the next one.

Dave: At long last a good result. We were second best in the first half but improved in the second half. Wolves have improved too, and looked like they were going to score but luckily they didn't. We need to start having two good halves and we may stay up and send Spurs down.

Sue: What a great result and another clean sheet. First half a bit slow but a brilliant second half. If we keep going like this we will beat the drop. Watch out Arsenal haha.

Wolves fans

Guy: Whilst we are obviously going to be relegated this year, it would have been great to see the team actually trying to compete with West Ham to win the three points on offer. There is surely the small matter of not finishing bottom of the league to play for? After such a dismal season, that should be sufficient motivation for the team. All we ask for is effort and after such a long wait between games it was very disappointing to see none.

Simon: Pitiful - the long suffering supporters who made the trip down to London should be reimbursed for that pathetic and embarrassing performance. A disgrace after a 25-day rest!!

Dan: Once the second goal went in we absolutely fell apart. This was a game we had to win to maintain any slim hope of survival and we got battered. A pretty depressing return from several weeks without a game.

Ian: The international break has worked against us. Lots of poor individual mistakes that weren't happening as much before. We handed them the game on a plate.

Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to Sky Sports after West Ham's victory against Wolves: "We are happy, extremely happy. All of us deserve this kind of evening, especially our fans. London Stadium today was amazing, bouncing with energy and helping us in the hard parts. The first half was tough. We didn't find spaces, the game didn't flow, but we were there. Then after the break we really improved."

On the timing of the first goal: "It changes everything. It changes the dynamic of the half time talk. The players keept their calmness and understood and did an amazing second half. Much, much improved [in the second half], not only on the ball but off the ball. We stopped them from breaking us in the middle. It was positive."

On the front two: "We played many times in this shape before the injuries with these players, and it was too bad it did not follow on. I think we still have time to improve the way we want to do things in this shape. The hard work is more important sometimes, off the ball all the team was spot on."

On the Disasi-Mavropanos partnershp: "They know each other better, so the communication has improved a lot. The full-backs have also helped a lot, especially when they put the big striker and the balls into the box, but the team was ok."

Konstantinos Mavropanos spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "These kind of wins give us a big boost for the rest of the season because we have been working really hard. We got some really good results in the past games and today again we saw the great effort with our fans at home, clean sheet. I think it was a perfect performance.

"We said that we have to stay calm throughout the game because Wolves have some good players. We stuck together and scored the first goal and in the second half we saw more of our work and we scored more goals."

On two more goals for him: "I'm just happy to help the team to get results like that. With all the lads and the staff we have been working really hard to score from the set pieces. In the last games we got some really good goals through set pieces, so we are just happy to get these extra goals as well."

Did you know?

• West Ham have won five of their last 11 Premier League matches (D3 L3); since (and including) the first game in this run against Spurs on 17 January, only Man Utd (23) and Arsenal (21) have won more points than the Hammers (18).

• Tonight is only the second time two West Ham players have scored 2+ goals in a Premier League game (Mavropanos and Castellanos) – the other was in May 1997 against Sheffield Wednesday, when Paul Kitson got a hat-trick and John Hartson a brace.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Wolves' display?

Come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies

West Ham's hopes of Premier League survival are boosted by the return of Crysencio Summerville, who missed last weekend's FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leeds United through injury.

The 24-year-old is one of six changes for the Hammers, with Mads Hermansen, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Tomas Soucek, Pablo and Valentin Castellanos also coming into the starting XI.

Callum Wilson and Jean-Clair Tdibo are both also fit enough to be named on the bench after a spell on the sidelines.

West Ham XI: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Disasi, Mavropanos, Diouf; Summerville, Soucek, Fernandes, Bowen; Pablo,Castellanos

Subs: Areola, Wilson, Adama, Todibo, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Potts, Kante

Wolves, meanwhile, are without defender Matt Doherty as they line up for a first Premier League game in 25 days.

Manager Rob Edwards makes one change from the side that managed a 2-2 draw with Brentford on March 16, with Angel Gomes starting in place of Mateus Mane.

Wolves XI: Sa, Mosquera, Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Andre, J.Gomes, Bueno; Bellegarde, A.Gomes; Armstrong

Subs: Bentley, Wolfe, Hwang, Arokodare, Lima, R.Gomes, Toti, Mane, Edozie

We asked for your views on facing Wolves in the Premier League given the importance of the fixture in the battle for survival.

Here are some of your comments:

Samuel: Every game from here on in has the feeling of a six-pointer but this feels like a game we should be winning. Yes, Wolves have improved but they're still winless on the road this season and we need to take advantage of that. I'm optimistic we can stay up and if we get three points on Friday, it will be a huge morale boost for the club.

Paul: In terms of confidence going forward, games don't get any bigger for the team and the fans. Having already lost twice to Wolves this season, there will be plenty of nervous Hammers fans - me included. Our season could pivot on this game.

Roland: Must win or we are down. Simple.

James: The Wolves game is going to be a big one, teams that are all but relegated can play with the handbrake off and free of pressure, couple that with the fact they will be facing a former manager and it will make for a tough test albeit one I am quietly confident West Ham will pass. My prediction? 1-0 - Adama Traore to score!

Bazza: When Moyes was the boss, we always won these "must-wins", especially six-pointers at home. That's the yardstick against which this team will be measured come Friday evening.

Adrian: Definitely a six-pointer, need three points to put pressure on the teams above us. Anything less and relegation will be very real.

Relegation rivals West Ham and Wolves meet for the third time this season.

Returning from hammer blow

West Ham need to bounce straight back after their FA Cup heartache last weekend, and what better way to do it than getting a win which would move them out of the relegation zone – even if it might only be for less than 48 hours.

The good news for the Hammers is that they are facing the bottom side, whose miserable season has meant they were seen as relegation certs well before Christmas.

But the bad news is that Wolves have beaten them twice already in 2025-26, and are enjoying something of a late-season renaissance, losing only four of their past 13 matches.

West Ham will take heart from the manner of their FA Cup fightback against Leeds on Sunday, when they scored twice in stoppage time. Scoring late goals was a feature of their cup run – four of their seven goals came after the 90th minute.

However, that's something of a contrast to their league form, where they have dropped more points than any other side in the final 15 minutes of matches.

Letting in goals has been a big problem for West Ham, whose tally of 57 goals conceded exceeds that of their opponents on Friday and is the second-worst in the top flight.

The Hammers have also conceded a joint-division-high 22 goals from set-pieces – although Wolves have only scored nine goals from set-pieces, the joint-lowest total in the Premier League.

Wolves in revival mode

Wolves kicked off 2026 with a 3-0 victory over West Ham – a repeat of that scoreline would see them move off the foot of the table for the first time since August.

It may prove to be a brief stay but moving off the bottom of the top flight is something that looked unlikely even six weeks ago when they suffered their 20th league defeat of the season, and were nine points adrift and still in danger of eclipsing Derby's record for the fewest points in a Premier League campaign.

Two wins and a draw since then have restored some pride to the Old Gold, and they will hope that the 25-day break since their last match has not stopped their momentum.

Avoiding relegation might be a step too far – Opta's Supercomputer, external gives them a 99.93% chance of going down – but they look determined to do it fighting every step of the way.

And with none of their remaining seven fixtures against top eight clubs – and four of them against teams in the bottom six – they could have a big say in who might join them should they end up in the Championship next season.

It's so hard to know what to expect this weekend, because so many teams have not played for a few weeks, and they will have lost any momentum.

Wolves know they are down but they have definitely improved under Rob Edwards, who has had some decent results after a difficult start. They are one of the teams who have been on a good run, but their last match was on 16 March.

Seeing West Ham's FA Cup tie with Leeds go to extra-time last weekend was the worst-case scenario for them, with a massive game like this on the horizon.

They obviously lost on penalties in the end, and their league form has not been great either, with only one win in their past six games.

That's why they are still in the bottom three at the moment but I think they will be out of the relegation zone on Friday night.

Wolves have beaten West Ham twice already this season, at Molineux in the league and the Carabao Cup, but this time I am going for a Hammers win.

All the pressure is on them here, but they are at home and Jarrod Bowen will probably be the player who makes the difference.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

The Premier League's return this weekend brings trepidation for some and excitement for others.

Football's emotional rollercoaster becomes intense at this time of year, unless of course mid-table mediocrity has taken a grip of things in recent months.

So how are you feeling as an West Ham fan with just a handful of weeks left to go?

The league form reads: DDLWDL

The next three league fixtures are: Wolves (h), Crystal Palace (a) and Everton (h)

Let us know how you're feeling here

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League returns on Friday, with West Ham hosting bottom club Wolves at London Stadium.

It is a big opportunity for the Hammers to pull themselves out of the relegation zone as Tottenham, who are one point above West Ham, and Nottingham Forest, who have a three-point advantage, do not play until Sunday.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side will need to bounce back physically and mentally from Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Leeds, which went to extra time and penalties.

So how are you feeling going into Friday's game? Nervous off the back of the cup exit? Is it a 'six-pointer'? Or is it a good opportunity to get some more points on the board and increase the pressure on Tottenham and Nottingham Forest?

Get in touch with your views

Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Wolves at London Stadium (kick-off 20:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Crysencio Summerville, Jean-Clair Todibo and Callum Wilson are all "improving" and Nuno is positive they can be available for Friday. He also added Dinos Mavropanos is clear of the concussion protocol.

• The Hammers boss was asked about Axel Disasi and Alphonse Areola, who came off in the FA Cup loss against Leeds and he said "they are OK - tiredness and fatigue".

• On the defeat by Leeds, Nuno added: "It's been a couple of difficult days. We had a lot of hope and belief that we could achieve reaching Wembley - we were disappointed, but the way we did it showed we put [up] a fight. We reacted and didn't give up until the end. We move forward realising that our major fight is starting on Friday."

• The West Ham boss faced questions about Aaron Wan-Bissaka's return from international duty with DR Congo and said: "We deal with that. It was not possible for him to be here [for Leeds], but now he's returned, he's good, he's working. Let's see if he can help the team."

• On dealing with pressure: "We've been under pressure since the beginning. In the Premier League you can ask anyone, we are [under] constant scrutiny. We are being evaluated in every action we make. The players are used to that and they are ready. What is important is that we are, as a team, together with the fans. It's going to be tough but it'll be much easier if we can count on all the support we are going to have."

• He added: "As a club we are in a position that we don't want to be and it's up to us, the players and us coaches to take care of the mission that we have in hand. We know, we are aware but we are confident and we believe in each other."

Got a question about West Ham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on West Ham's Premier League run-in and whether they will stay up.

Here are some of your comments:

David: I think we will scrape through by the skin of our teeth. Spurs will be relegated, there is simply not enough time for the manager to stop the ship from sinking, and some international players on hefty contracts will already have their eyes firmly on the World Cup as a shop window for a summer transfer, and will be avoiding injury or overexertion. That is my hope anyway!

Colm: I can't tell you who are destined to go down but I can say with confidence that the Hammers will stay up!

Steve: We have the quality and the heart but I think alot will come down to team selection. This was shown against Leeds, so fingers crossed we should get out of trouble.

Robin: I honestly believe West Ham will stay up. I think Forest could go because they are still in the cup, travelling abroad could give you problems.

Mikey: We deserve to go down and then may struggle to come back up in a more competitive league.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

There are 21 points left up for grabs in the 2025-26 Premier League season and every one of those will matter for those near the bottom of the table.

Who will survive and who will be relegated to the Championship?

West Ham currently sit in 18th, with Tottenham one point above the drop, Nottingham Forest three ahead and Leeds four.

Here's a look at the four clubs' final seven games of the season.

West Ham face bottom club Wolves on Friday - their first of four home games in the run-in.

The Hammers then face Brentford,Everton and Newcastle, who are all chasing a European spot, and current league leaders Arsenal.

If it goes down to the wire, then the final game of the season between West Ham and Leeds could be all or nothing.

Unlike West Ham, Tottenham have more away games in their run-in.

Yet that could in fact favour Spurs given they possess the worst home record in the Premier League this season, having won just two of their 16 home games.

Roberto de Zerbi will need to make an immediate impact as they travel to Sunderland and then host his former club Brighton the following week.

Spurs host Leeds on 11 May in what could be an important game in the fight for survival, before two tricky final games against Chelsea and Everton.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds have three and four-point buffers to the drop zone respectively - but they will play more games than Tottenham and West Ham as they are both still in cup competitions.

Forest have still got to play three of the current top six, as well as European-chasing Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Should they progress to the Europa League semi-finals then both legs will have to be played either side of their trip to Stamford Bridge on 4 May.

Leeds' FA Cup semi-final - also against Chelsea - will be played three days after their visit to Bournemouth.

And it is Leeds who have to play the most teams near the bottom, with four of their seven remaining fixtures against the current bottom four.

So how are you feeling? Does it make you nervy looking at your club's and other teams' fixtures? Or do you think you have enough to beat the drop?

Get in touch with your views here

All kick-off times BST, fixture dates and times subject to change.

James Jones
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

There is a difference of opinion throughout the West Ham fanbase where Sunday's FA Cup exit to Leeds United is concerned.

While everyone is obviously disappointed not to have made a first FA Cup semi-final since 2006, the consequences of such a defeat are somewhat different, depending on which side of the fence you sit.

On one side, with seven Premier League fixtures left to play and still being inside the relegation zone, no longer having the FA Cup to focus on during that period allows Nuno Espirito Santo, his staff and his players to put all of their focus on guiding the club to survival.

On the other, a trip to Wembley in the semi-final and then again for the chance to win a first FA Cup since 1980 might have given the players a huge confidence boost as they figure out how they are going to preserve West Ham's top-flight status at the same time.

Many will have taken an FA Cup win if it meant relegation to the Championship. After all, football is all about winning trophies, isn't it? Many others will have preferred survival over silverware because, as we recently learned from the club's annual accounts, West Ham's financial issues become immediately and worryingly worse without Premier League level income.

There is credence to both views. I am not sure which one I subscribe to. Indeed, I would have loved to see West Ham at Wembley for the first time since the 2012 second-tier play-off final. Winning the FA Cup would also allow me to bury the demons of 2006 once and for all, with Steven Gerrard's late, cramp-induced wonder strike in Cardiff still haunting me and many other Hammers fans to this day.

But it was not to be this year. I am convinced our year will come again eventually.

Now the focus really is on making sure we stay in the Premier League. Seven games to go, starting with rock-bottom Wolves at home on Friday.

This is, arguably, the biggest two months in the club's modern history. Perhaps ever. A disastrous ending does not bear thinking about.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham winger Adama Traore believes the "fighting spirit" the team showed in their dramatic FA Cup defeat by Leeds is what can keep them up in the Premier League this season.

The Hammers, who are one point off safety, trailed Leeds 2-0 going into stoppage time after goals from Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

However, late goals from Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi forced a 2-2 draw and extra time - in which the side had two goals ruled out for offside - only to ultimately bow out on penalties.

"I'm sad because of how we lost but we have to take the positives from the game," Traore said.

"We showed great fighting spirit and fought until the end. It's unfortunate that we lost on penalties but we'll try to improve and be better in our next game.

"We need to move on because this game is now already in the past. I believe we can stay up and the feeling would have been better if it was a win, but there were positives."

West Ham can take themselves out of the relegation zone before their rivals play if they beat bottom side Wolves at home on Friday.

Traore, signed in January by Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who also managed him at Wolves, added: "I love the identity of the club and the fans who are passionate like myself.

"I want to play and do well under a manager I know."

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final between West Ham and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Sue: Was quite impressed with the second half but thought we were unlucky to have two goals disallowed. Thought Taty should have scored, he missed an open goal. At least we can concentrate on Premier League survival. It was an entertaining game.

Andy: Brilliant comeback by West Ham, they dominated extra time and in the end were very unlucky to lose. Young Herrick was close to a couple of the penalties, a debut to remember!

John: It was bittersweet, but I am secretly relieved as I think we need all our focus to be on our last Premier League games. It was great to see us fight back late in the game and create chances in extra time because that gives me hope for us in the rest of the season.

Matthew: I was glad the fans who left weren't allowed back in. There's a culture of leaving early at West Ham and hopefully this will teach most of them that do it regularly a hard lesson that we need support until the end. It must be demoralising for players to see stands emptying and those who do it probably make up a large portion of the negative energy that's been damaging this club for years now.

Leeds fans

Stephen: Delighted to be in an FA Cup semi-final for the first time since Wee Billy was manager and Neil Aspin was postponing his wedding to play against Coventry. I have carried those memories for nearly 40 years so am over the moon that we have reached that stage of competition that captured me in 1972.

Andrew: Leeds turn a winning stroll in 90 minutes in to extra time and penalties. We must improve game management to see out wins as this will be crucial to staying up. West Ham are where they are for a reason and we should have won by three or four. This cup run is fantastic though and long overdue - and Leeds have already beaten Chelsea this season.

Eric: At 2-0 on 90 minutes it should have been all about game management, even with a very strange 11 minutes of added time, but even so, once again we very nearly grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory. Not for the first time this season. Perri really pulled it out of the bag for this one. He was my man of the match for his whole performance and not just for the penalty saves, but the team still has a lot of work to do to reach the finish line.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

With West Ham sitting 18th in the Premier League, in the relegation zone and in danger of dropping to the Championship, this was a glorious chance for the players to give the supporters a day out at Wembley.

Before the game, captain Jarrod Bowen said the club could turn "an underwhelming season into a really special one" and said the match was a "big opportunity".

So often the Hammers' star performer this season, Bowen added: "A Wembley trip for everyone associated with this club would be incredible. This is the FA Cup, the competition we all grew up watching and dreaming of winning."

But, on a desperately disappointing afternoon for home fans, the Hammers could not take their chance.

A poor first half featured them giving the ball away sloppily on several occasions, with discontent rising in the stands.

Bowen had a shot saved following a bright run by Adama Traore, but it was no surprise when Leeds went ahead. The tie then looked over when Dominic Calvert-Lewin added a second, with a penalty that was given following a check by the video assistant referee.

But, in a barely believable stoppage-time period, West Ham scored twice to earn a second bite at the cherry. Mateus Fernandes followed up after Bowen hit the post and then Axel Disasi steered in Traore's cross.

In a breathtaking game that had nearly everything, West Ham then had two goals ruled out in extra time - Taty Castellanos and Pablo each offside when they found the net, the latter after Bowen rattled the woodwork with a fierce shot.

Then came the frustration of the penalties, and West Ham must quickly pick themselves up before Friday's home league game against bottom-placed Wolves, a fixture which Nuno Espirito Santo's side will see victory as essential if they are to stay in the top flight.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It is sad the way it ended because in the second half and in extra-time we created chances that could have stopped it going to penalties. It's sad, it's tough. We saw from the fans what it meant to us to try and reach Wembley but it wasn't to be so we have to rest in the best way we can and react for the next one."

On pride in the performance: "That and the way we prove to ourselves that we can never give up. The game is not done until the referee says so and we have to take that into our future starting on Friday."

On Adama Traore: "He did some good actions, he worked well and he is getting up to speed. He didn't have too many minutes but today Adama did well and we need all of them to do well."

On Finlay Herrick: "He is a young goalkeeper with talent, he played for England in the youth. We have a project to try and help him to become what we expect from a good goalkeeper that can help us."

On how this will affect them going into the Wolves game on Friday: "It will take more time to recover. The legs go when you win and recover quicker. We have the sadness and that will drag into this evening and tomorrow but we have to react. We have important games so we will keep fighting."

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen speaking to TNT Sports: "Gutted. It hurts a lot after being 2-0 down. I missed and I can only apologise to everyone involved for that. You never want to miss penalties but I have today and I have to face that. It doesn't define who I am but I have to stand tall from that. We did a lot of good things in the game but it wasn't to be.

On the performance: "In the first half, we had a few good opportunities, the keeper made a great save from Taty [Castellanos] and from me. Our shape probably wasn't good enough and we tweaked a few things. At 2-0 down you have to go for it. We thought we would go on and win the game but it wasn't meant to be."

"It has to hurt. We are hurt as a team. We have to dust ourselves down and get back into training tomorrow for the Wolves game on Friday because we know what we have to do."

Did you know?

• West Ham have given away nine penalties in all competitions this season – more than any other Premier League side.

• Axel Disasi scored his first goal since December 2024 for Chelsea against Southampton, 487 days ago. He hadn't scored in 25 appearances across spells at Chelsea, Aston Villa, and West Ham between the two.