West Ham 3 Fulham 2: Graham Potter wins first Prem game with Hammers after Leno blunder in five-goal thriller
THREE training sessions, five players out but one hell of an impact.
Graham Potter delivered the most convincing West Ham performance of the season in his first Premier League game in charge.
The Hammers fed off some comical Fulham defending but also finally showed some energy having looked so lethargic under axed Julen Lopetegui.
Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta all stepped up to score for a squad shorn of strikers to end Fulham’s eight game unbeaten run.
There were still things to work on, as Alex Iwobi managed to score from not one but two crosses.
But, given where they have come from, this was a big night for West Ham and Potter.
Injuries to Niclas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio left the new manager with very little in terms of attacking options.
Potter – who suffered defeat in his first game at Aston Villa on Friday – had just one senior striker in his squad, Danny Ings, but opted to leave the forward on the bench.
Instead, Brazilian Paqueta was leading the line, with Soler pushed out to the left wing.
While what to do up top was the pressing issue on the night, West Ham’s bigger problems have been at the back.
That was exposed after just six minutes, when Iwobi was allowed to drift in behind the back line and cross for an unmarked Harry Wilson, who smacked an effort against the bar.
Fulham were in control and racking up the chances.
Emile Smith Rowe had a couple of openings, Raul Jimenez should have done better with another and Antonee Robinson dragged one wide of the far post on the break.
It looked a matter of time before they were ahead, but suddenly West Ham settled, surged and stunned Fulham.
Max Kilman had a goal ruled out for offside from a Soler free-kick, but it gave them confidence.
After a spell of pressure and some incredibly generous football from the visitors, Soler had them ahead.
Bernd Leno played a ball to Pereira, under pressure just inside the Fulham box.
His suicidal first time ball across the box smacked of a player and team who thought this would be an easy ride – and cost them dearly.
It fell straight to Soler who met it first time with a composed finish – his first goal for the club.
The Spaniard arrived highly rated but has failed to make any sort of impact until now.
But, playing out of position, Soler suddenly looked full of confidence and was involved in the second goal just two minutes later.
Having collected the ball from Lukasz Fabianski, Kilman sent a long ball towards Paqueta, whose flick on found Kudus.
The winger drifted inside and fed Soler. His ball across to the other side of the box left Fulham in a twist and was met by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who cut back for skipper Soucek to finish high into the net first time.
This was a big change from the West Ham of the last five months.
And while they were still giving up chances, Jimenez clipping the top of the bar with a header at the far post, there was an intensity that has been absent for too long.
But it is naïve to expect a new boss to fix everything at once. Another of West Ham’s multiple issues this season has been conceding after the break. And they managed it again here.
Just six minutes after the restart, Fulham found a way back.
Under little pressure, Iwobi drifted inside and clipped a cross for Jimenez, who just missed getting a touch on the ball but did enough to put Fabianski off and allow the ball to drift in.
Despite that soft touch just after the break, West Ham responded well to conceding – another element which has been lacking this term.
Having stayed solid, they were rewarded with another almighty Fulham balls-up.
Joachim Andersen rolled the ball back to Leno who dawdled under pressure from Ings, just on for Kudus.
Ings’ challenge landed the ball with Paqueta who finished into an unguarded net.
West Ham looked comfortable, for a while at least. Having not learned that an Iwobi cross can be dangerous from earlier in the game – they allowed him another, from which he scored again.
This was a clipped ball for Wilson, whose attempt to head the ball saw him duck out the way but again causing enough trouble for it to find the back of the net.
Jimenez, Sasa Lukic and Adama Traore all had big chances for a leveller as the Hammers held on, but the hosts just crawled over the line.
Nothing is ever simple at West Ham, as Potter is finding out.