Report and free match highlights as Fulham win 2-0 at West Ham United; goals in each half from Andreas Pereira hand the visitors victory in this London derby; the Cottagers move level on points with Bournemouth; West Ham stay in eighth after missing chance to move up to sixth in the table
Tuesday 16 April 2024 16:21, UK
Andreas Pereira's well-taken double either side of half-time saw Fulham win 2-0 at a lacklustre West Ham United as Marco Silva's side got back to winning ways in the Premier League.
The visitors made the short trip across the capital looking to end a three-game win-less run in the league and came across an obliging West Ham team who handed their opponents the opening goal on a plate.
West Ham centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos' attempted clearance went straight to Pereira in the box, with the Brazilian gratefully accepting the gift as he rounded Lukasz Fabianski and fired home into an empty net to give the Cottagers a ninth-minute lead.
It was Pereira, 28, who doubled Fulham's advantage with 18 minutes to go after a devastating counter-attack led by the attacking midfielder, who exchanged passes with Alex Iwobi, before side footing home past a helpless Fabianski.
The hosts had their own chances, the best of which fell to Michail Antonio, only for the forward to blaze over just four minutes in on what was a frustrating afternoon for David Moyes' men.
As a result, 12th-placed Fulham move level on points with Bournemouth, while West Ham stay in eighth place after missing out on the chance to move above both Man Utd and Newcastle United and into sixth in the table.
The home side came into the game after an energy-sapping Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash at Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night when two late goals broke the visitors' hearts and that disappointment may have played a role in this off-colour West Ham display.
West Ham really should have been ahead early on, but when the ball broke to Antonio eight yards out after Bernd Leno had done well to deny Vladimir Coufal, the striker somehow placed his shot over the unguarded goal.
That was about as good as it got for the Hammers, though, as Fulham took control of proceedings, albeit thanks to a horror mistake from Mavropanos, who tried to control Alex Iwobi's long ball, only to gift possession straight to Pereira, who made no mistake.
And it was that exact same combination that created Fulham's second goal on the counter as Lucas Paqueta lost possession inside Fulham's half and within the blink of an eye Pereira was racing up field, before releasing Iwobi in the box and from his return pass, the player of the match tapped home to seal the victory.
A flat West Ham, meanwhile, played out the final quarter of the game in a near silent stadium, except for when boos rang out at the final whistle, although there was some good news when Moyes confirmed George Earthy, 19, who was stretchered off late on after coming on for his debut, was conscious and on his way to hospital.
The Hammers will now need to raise themselves if they are to have any chance of overturning Leverkusen's two-goal deficit in their return Europa League last-eight encounter on Thursday.
West Ham boss David Moyes:
"George [Earthy] has suffered a head injury. He's awake and has been taken to hospital for further assessment."
On Lucas Paqueta's display: "Now and then you get players like this - I have not had many of them - and you have to give them license. We really like him, he has done a great job for us and today it just did not happen."
On chances of overturning 2-0 first-leg deficit against Leverkusen on Thursday: "We will have to play really well on Thursday, we did not have our shooting boots on today, we did not connect right with our chances.
"We will need our shooting boots on Thursday and the goal scorers will need to come up with the goods if we are to win."
Fulham boss Marco Silva:
"A great win for us. To be honest we deserved the three points. West Ham started better. They had a good chance to score. But after that, we started to control the game in a different way.
"We know the quality we have, the way we play. We were solid and most of our transitions were good. We were more clinical and with more killer instinct."
Analysis by Sky Sports' Richard Morgan at the London Stadium:
"English audiences first set eyes on Andreas Pereira in a Man Utd shirt a decade ago, although he went on to only make 45 appearances in total during a stop-start career at Old Trafford, including loans to Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo, before Marco Silva decided to bring him to west London in July 2022.
"The Portuguese backed his man-management skills and coaching abilities to get the best out of the, at times, frustrating Brazil international and that is exactly what he has done.
"Silva spoke in the aftermath of Fulham's 2-0 win at West Ham, in which Pereira starred to score his first-ever Premier League double, of how he has changed the player's position in midfield to help bring the best out of him.
"'This afternoon the plan was clear for him,' said Silva in his post-match press conference. 'We said to never be [in front] of the two West Ham midfielders. We wanted him in the pockets, between the lines, that's how we planned the game. About him arriving in the box, that's something we're demanding of him.'
"And boy did the 28-year-old heed his manager's advice at the London Stadium to bring up his 12th goal involvement in 40 matches in all competitions so far this season, with Pereira specifically running over to embrace his manager on the touchline after opening the scoring with the duo's close bond there for all to see.
West Ham host the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday April 18. Kick-off 8pm. They return to Premier League action on Sunday April 21 at Crystal Palace. Kick-off 3pm.
Fulham welcome title-chasing Liverpool to Craven Cottage on Sunday April 21, live on Sky Sports. Kick-off 4.30pm.
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