Raúl Jiménez deepened West Ham United’s relegation worries with a late winner that gave Fulham a 1-0 victory at the London Stadium. The Mexican striker struck with five minutes remaining, rising at the far post to head in Harry Wilson’s cross and punish a wasteful West Ham side that had carved out enough opportunities to take something from the game but failed to take them.
The defeat leaves 18th-placed West Ham five points adrift of safety after the first of a run of supposedly winnable fixtures. Manchester City’s lunchtime win at Nottingham Forest had handed Nuno’s team the chance to cut the gap to 17th to just two points, but instead they remain marooned in the bottom three, on a seven-game winless run and now with three straight defeats. Fulham, by contrast, signed off 2025 in style, recording a third consecutive league victory for the first time since January 2023 to move into the top half of the table and well clear of any imminent danger.
There was little festive cheer in east London. Home supporters held up red cards in unison and chanted against owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady throughout another anxious afternoon. On the pitch, the numbers underpin the frustration: West Ham have managed only two home wins this season, have lost their last six London derbies and taken just three points from their last seven league games, a sequence that has dragged them firmly into a relegation battle.
West Ham’s wastefulness sets the stage for late punishment