The Hammers made it back-to-back Premier League wins to keep their survival hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland at London Stadium, on Saturday.
Following up last weekend’s late, late success at Tottenham Hotspur (2-1) unchanged West Ham United were all but home and hosed by the break thanks to a trio of first-half goals without reply.
“It was good performance,” enthused Nuno Espírito Santo after Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes struck either side of Jarrod Bowen’s penalty. “We started well with good momentum, were accurate with our passing and those goals really helped our confidence.
“The players connected better. There was a click and flow plus some good combinations and we are starting to realise what we have to do in terms of getting bodies into the box in our offensive process. It is good that we are progressing.”
Indeed, following up his opener at Spurs, on 14 minutes, the diminutive Summerville – one of the smallest figures on the pitch – outjumped Nordi Mukiele to head Bowen’s inviting right-wing cross beyond ‘keeper Robin Roefs.
“I don’t care how he scores,” insisted the Hammers head coach. “He just needs to know that when he’s not playing out wide, he should be a presence in the box.”
With the half-hour mark approaching, Ollie Scarles – retaining the left-back berth over benched, returning Africa Cup of Nations winner El Hadji Malick Diouf – was tripped by Sunderland skipper Trai Hume and West Ham counterpart Bowen coolly converted the consequent spot-kick to claim his seventh goal of the season.
“We are very, very lucky to have Jarrod because he is very talented and a big threat,” continued Nuno. “He leads by example every minute that he is on the pitch. Jarrod’s always speaking to our new boys and transmitting the reality of our situation to them.”
Then, with 43 minutes on the clock, Fernandes let fly with an unstoppable 30-yarder that scorched Roefs’ right-hand glove before ripping into the net.
Although the unmarked Brian Brobbey nodded home midway through the second-half, it proved no more than a mere consolation for the wobbling Wearsiders.
“Overall, there was an improvement in how we managed the game,” observed Nuno following the taming of the Black Cats. “Although they scored, the boys stayed calm, kept working hard and didn’t allow too much to happen.
“Wins change everything and football’s about the present. It’s a day-by-day thing and we now need to keep energy and momentum. We cannot stop believing and everyone must help each other and give even more to help us improve further.”
Having turned 52 on Sunday, Nuno’s birthday celebrations were, however, dampened by Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 win at Brentford – a result that still leaves his 18th-placed side five points adrift of safety ahead of Saturday’s tricky trip to Chelsea (kick-off 17:30).
By then, there should be more ins-and-outs with absent record-signing Lucas Paquetá reportedly heading home to Brazilian side Flamengo, while Guido Rodriguez appears La Liga-bound with a move to Spanish outfit, Valencia.
“The Paquetá situation needs to be solved so that everyone can move forward,” concluded Nuno. “Guido’s an impressive professional and a top man. He has a chance to go and we wish him all the best.
“We will continue to re-balance the squad in this transfer window because we need new options in some positions.”
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