Fulham 5-0 West Ham: The Cottagers defeat the in-form Hammers with ease thanks to a stunning goal from Harry Wilson.

Fulham thrashed West Ham by the same score at Craven Cottage on Sunday, capping their dominant 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the midweek.

After winning their last three home games in a row, Marco Silva’s team has scored 13 goals, the last 10 of which have gone unanswered.

After 22 minutes, Raul Jimenez headed the home team into the lead. Willian and Tosin Adarabioyo’s header—his first since September 2022—made it 3-0 at the half.

But Harry Wilson, a second-half substitute, scored the best goal of the game with a lovely curling effort from 20 yards, and Carlos Vinicius’s late tap-in completed the picture of a fantastic afternoon for the Cottagers and a terrible one for their cross-city rivals.

Although West Ham remains in ninth place, three points ahead of Fulham, despite their four-game unbeaten streak coming to an end, Fulham’s win moves them up to 10th place, two points above Brentford and Chelsea, their rivals in west London.

How Silva’s Fulham ran riot again at the Cottage

With two hot sides facing off in a London derby in SW6, there were two possible outcomes: either a cagey match where opportunities were few or a resounding victory for one team. That started just like the first choice.

Then Fulham took the lead halfway through the first half. Jimenez’s header was powerful and well-directed, but if Joao Palhinha hadn’t played the ball of dreams from the right, he might not have scored.

For the Mexican, who had not scored in any of his first 12 games across all competitions from the beginning of the season until November 12, it was his fourth goal in five games. The hosts were greatly boosted by that and began to smell blood.

Therefore, it was not shocking when the lead quadrupled a little over 30 minutes later. Lukasz Fabianski saved Alex Iwobi’s attempt brilliantly, but the ball sprung free to Andreas Pereira, whose cross was missed by Iwobi and eventually rolled in by Willian.

When West Ham did manage to get out of their own half, Bernd Leno saved Jarrod Bowen’s attempt on the turn, giving them the greatest chance of the game. By halftime, though, it was all but gone, with Adarabioyo taking the lead in Pereira’s corner.

However, Wilson’s three-touch move to put himself up after a ball over the top and his typical unstoppable shot into the top left corner effectively sealed the three points.

For the remainder of the game, the Hammers had to limit their damage, but they were unable to do so either on an otherwise forgettable day. With two minutes remaining in the ninety, Vinicius sealed the rout by squaring to Wilson after the latter had selflessly controlled a long ball forward that had torn apart the Hammers defense.

Player of the match – Harry Wilson

Sky Sports’ Dan Long at Craven Cottage:

With a stunning strike and an assist for Vinicius late in the game, the Welshman ensured that the victory was crushing rather than just comprehensive. Wilson has scored 11 goals in the Premier League with his left foot (seven with Bournemouth and four with Fulham); only Stuart Pearce (20/20), Bryan Mbeumo (20/20), and Dwight McNeil (16/16) have a higher percentage of left feet in the competition. Wilson has now recorded two goals and three assists in his last four games, so his ability to get back on track will probably be crucial for Marco Silva over the holiday period.

Silva: It was almost the perfect afternoon – but even better than the Forest win

Fulham head coach Marco Silva:

“It was a brilliant performance from us. We were also the best team on the pitch, not just because we won 5-0, but because of the way we performed from the first minute. The players understood the plan so well and they executed it really well; the way we could punish them and take the ball from them and control the game on the ball almost for 95 minutes.

“It was almost the perfect afternoon for us. In the last 25 minutes we just tried to control the game and we lost some balls that gave them the chance to counter-attack, but apart from that, we gave them almost nothing. We controlled well and it is not easy to control a team like West Ham with the quality they have up front.

“I have no doubts about it [that win was better than the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest].”

Moyes: West Ham used up too much energy against Spurs

West Ham manager David Moyes:

“The first 20 minutes, we were fine. We let a terrible first goal in… and that changed the game because we were as much in the game as Fulham were at that time.

“I think it was the carry-over from the game [against Tottenham]; we used up too much energy in midweek. There’s no excuse for the result, but it played a part. It was disappointing. We’ve had two difficult away games this week. Three points from the two games is not a bad result.”

Opta stats: Moyes and West Ham create unwelcome history in a rout

Now, David Moyes and Harry Redknapp have combined for the most Premier League managerial losses with 238 games managed. In fact, the only other time he has lost a more significant match in the league was with Everton over Arsenal in May 2005 (7-0).

In addition to being their worst away Premier League loss since a 5-0 loss to Newcastle United in January 2011, this was West Ham’s worst-ever away loss in a Premier League London derby.

For just the third time in club history, Fulham has scored three goals or more in four straight top flight league games. This occurred in October 1959 and October 1961.

WHATS NEXT?

On Saturday, December 16, Fulham travels north to play Newcastle. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. On Tuesday, December 19, they play Everton in the Carabao Cup. Start time is 7:45 p.m.

West Ham has already guaranteed their berth in the top two of Group A of the Europa League; they will take the lead if they defeat Freiburg at home on Thursday, December 14. Start at 8:00 p.m.