West Ham United

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Crysencio Summerville is unlikely to be available: "He still has some issues and we are still assessing, so I think Thursday will be too soon."

• On the fitness of left-back Ollie Scarles: "Oli has started training with no contact but hasn't been cleared for full training yet. He has been involved with many parts of the session."

• On reinstating Alphonso Areola as first-choice goalkeeper: "We don't just have Alphonse, but also Mads Hermansen and Lukasz Fabianski, who are working really well. Alphonse is starting - I hope he continues helping the team."

• On Lucas Paqueta and the red card he received against Liverpool: "I spoke with Lucas, and he spoke not only with me but with all his team-mates. He apologised. He's aware of his mistakes. Sometime the emotions, you can't control them, but at the same time, everybody has a chance [to make up for it]."

• More on Paqueta: "He is not OK. He is suffering. He is disappointed and upset. But he realises the mistake that he made and he is willing to move forward. Sometimes people are not aware of the problems football players endure. But Lucas, I think, is going to overcome this situation."

• He added: "At the club, we have all the support the players need. We have processes in the club that help and we are willing to provide assistance here in the club."

• Asked whether reports linking Paqueta with a move to Manchester City in the summer may also be affecting the Brazilian, Nuno said: "I think that is over. It is finished - that is clear."

• Nuno said he has "all the respect" for Manchester United counterpart Ruben Amorim, adding: "They are a good team. You can see from the game against Crystal Palace that they really compete well. They are a tough opponent, full of talented players."

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

The Observer's Rory Smith says he has "sympathy" for what West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta "has been through" but his red card on Sunday cannot really been justified.

Paqueta said on X that his "ridiculous behaviour" that resulted in a red card in the 2-0 defeat by Liverpool was a "reflection of everything I've had to endure".

A near-two-year Football Association investigation into the midfielder ended in July when he was cleared of spot-fixing charges by an independent regulatory commission.

On Sunday, Paqueta was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent by referee Darren England for arguing over a decision to award a foul against his team with six minutes left to play.

"I have sympathy for what he has been through and he is right to point out how it has affected him," said Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "But there were so many points where he could have just walked away.

"To the point where Alisson - who does not play for West Ham - even tried to stop him from talking himself into a red card.

"That would suggest with them both being Brazilian that he is aware of some form of pressure he is under, or that his friend is struggling - but it was such a strange sending off."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt are no longer interested in West Ham forward Niclas Fullkrug. (Sky Sports Germany - in German), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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James Jones
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The word 'legend' in the modern game gets thrown around so often that fans find themselves disagreeing what does and does not constitute legendary status.

But there can be no arguments where Billy Bonds is concerned. Not to West Ham fans.

Voted West Ham's greatest ever player by fans in 2018, Bonds was and will forever remain the perfect example of what it means to be West Ham. Passion, tenacity, grit, loyalty and honestly; all traits that underline the identity of the club and its fanbase.

As London Stadium prepared to host Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday afternoon and in the immediacy of the announcement of his passing just hours earlier, the Billy Bonds Stand stood taller and prouder than ever before.

Despite the sadness throughout the fanbase and the club, supporters arrived in Stratford fully prepared to show just what Bonds meant to them.

Captain Jarrod Bowen proudly raised a shirt with 'Bonds 4' on the back to the supporters in the Billy Bonds Stadium just before kick-off and the fans spent much of the game chanting 'Billy Bonds' Claret & Blue Army' regardless of what they were seeing on the pitch.

Victory over an out-of-form Liverpool felt almost inevitable given the backdrop of Sunday afternoon's game but unfortunately, it was not to be. The result also felt somewhat irrelevant on the day the club lost its ultimate legend.

Football does not make players like Bonds anymore and it says all you need to know about the type of player and person he was that his loss is being felt beyond just the confines of east London.

He will be sorely missed but proudly remembered, with his legacy immortalised in claret and blue forever more.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Teams sitting on 11 points or fewer after 13 Premier League games are usually in some trouble, but history shows survival is far from impossible.

Eight sides have managed to escape from that position, most recently Nottingham Forest in 2022-23, who had only nine points at this stage, yet pulled clear under Steve Cooper.

Perhaps the most striking example is Crystal Palace in 2013-14. The Eagles had just seven points after 13 matches and looked destined for relegation, but a managerial reset changed everything.

Ian Holloway departed on 23 October, Tony Pulis arrived a month later, and under the former Stoke boss, Palace surged to an 11th-place finish with 45 points. Caretaker Keith Millen bridged the gap with four games in between.

Interestingly, of the eight sides who survived from such a low base, only three made managerial changes mid-season: Palace (Pulis for Holloway), West Brom (Bryan Robson replacing Gary Megson) and Southampton (Mauricio Pochettino for Nigel Adkins).

For the others, stability rather than upheaval proved the route to safety - food for thought for West Ham, Leeds United, Burnley and Wolves who are either at or under that 11-point mark through 13 games this season.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Liverpool

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Chris: Disappointed we didn't ask more of a nervous Liverpool team as we weren't totally outclassed. In fact, both teams were misfiring in the final third. Madness from Paqueta and Bowen needs to do more as captain to shut him down. We move on - the signs are still positive despite the result.

Michael: Paqueta is an absolute liability and he has cost us on more than one occasion. Need to get rid and reinvest in players who want to play for the club. As fans, we definitely deserve better.

Harry: Not a very good tribute or farewell to our legend Billy Bonds - a player who fought for his badge and bled claret and blue. There was no fight from West Ham against a tired, poor Liverpool team. No shot on target. The only fight we saw was from Paqueta, which resulted in a red card. Bowen, our captain, didn't control the situation as he could have done - instead, he just stood there and let it happen. Awful performance and a wasted opportunity.

Bern: Rubbish - no energy, played at half speed like a training match. Allowed Liverpool to dominate possession without presenting any kind of threat.

Liverpool fans

Ben: I wonder how many of us saw that coming? A win, a clean sheet and a goal from Isak! Let's hope it won't lull us into a false sense of security. The team need to build on it and not fall back into the performances they have been giving us. Slot's job is safe... for now...

Alan: Much better. Plenty of aggressive play in the midfield and winning second balls, which has been missing for far too long. Dropping Salah was a good decision and playing Wirtz in a more familiar role gave more momentum to the attacks. Not there yet, but so much better.

Killian: Not vintage but green shoots. I genuinely think Slot was done had we lost. Wirtz was great and Isak grew into the game. Kerkez was better. Massive game against Sunderland on Wednesday. Come on Slot and the lads!

Mark: Well, the result was needed but, again, the performance wasn't good enough. Gomez was a good addition in defence and should have been there for weeks. Good to see Isak finally score, but he isn't the right player for us. Ekitike being back is great news. Still a lot of work to be done but three points is a must from our next game, otherwise nothing has changed and we cannot continue in this vain.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

There's a London derby as Chelsea take on Arsenal, Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace, and struggling Wolves make the short journey to Aston Villa. Elsewhere, West Ham entertain Liverpool and Nottingham Forest face Brighton.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-0 Wolves

• Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton

• West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

• Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

This was a game overshadowed by the shattering news about Hammers icon Bonds, one of the greatest leaders and players ever to represent the club.

The former defender was a symbol of West Ham's spirit, with the East Stand at London Stadium renamed after him in 2019 - an honour which moved him to tears when he addressed supporters at the time.

It was in this subdued atmosphere the Hammers faced a Liverpool side desperate to revive their fortunes after their struggles.

But Nuno Espirito Santo's team produced a lacklustre performance as they remained on 11 points, only out of the bottom three on goal difference.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson was barely troubled, with the only serious anxiety coming near the end when Jarrod Bowen fired a good opportunity off target.

As for Lucas Paqueta, only he will know what possessed him to get into a nonsensical verbal exchange with referee England following Niclas Füllkrug's foul on Dominik Szoboszlai - a debate the Brazilian refused to stop until he received the two yellow cards and was dismissed.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta says his "ridiculous behaviour" that resulted in a red card in the 2-0 defeat by Liverpool was a "reflection of everything I've had to endure."

A near-two-year Football Association investigation into the Brazil midfielder ended in July when he was cleared of spot-fixing charges by an independent regulatory commission.

On Sunday, Paqueta was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent by referee Darren England for arguing over a decision to award a foul against his team with six minutes left to play.

"It's ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation," Paqueta posted on X after the game.

"Perhaps this ridiculous behavior is just a reflection of everything I've had to endure and, it seems, have to continue enduring!

"I'm sorry if I'm not perfect."

Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Match of the Day after West Ham's defeat against Liverpool: "I think we achieved good moments in spells and reached the spaces in the final third but the decision was not as accurate as we all wished.

On the red card for Lucas Paqueta: "Allow me to speak with Lucas first and try to understand why. Even with one man less the boys had a bit of fight. The spirit and the desire was there in a day that was very sad for us as a club. The passing of Billy Bonds affected everybody and we wanted to change the atmosphere with our actions. The boys gave it a fight so let's keep on going."

Mateus Fernandes spoke to Sky Sports: They're a good team with a lot of quality. We need to be more consistent. It was a difficult game for us. We tried to play counter-attack and did well. Second half...when Lucas weas sent off it was more difficult for us.

"No I don't think [we've gone backwards]. We have quality in the squad to win much more games."

Did you know?

West Ham have just 11 points in 13 Premier League games this season (W3 D2 L8) – only in 2010-11 (9) and 2017-18 (10) have they had fewer at this stage of a campaign in the competition.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Nuno Espirito Santo makes three changes to the West Ham side that drew with Bournemouth.

Konstantinos Mavropanos, Soungoutou Magassa, and Lucas Paqueta come in for Luis Guilherme, Maximilian Kilman, and Igor Julio.

West Ham XI: Areola, Wilson, Paqueta, Diouf, Mavropanos, Fernandes, Bowen, Todibo, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Potts

Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Julio, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Rodriguez, Soucek, Irving

Arne Slot has made two changes to the Liverpool side, who were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest last Saturday.

Florian Wirtz replaces Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones is replaced by Joe Gomez.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Isak, Gakpo

Subs: Mamardashvili, Endo, Salah, Ekitike, Jones, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Ngumoha

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Manchester United (12:00)

• Aston Villa v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Nottingham Forest v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• West Ham v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Arsenal (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:05 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the first four games here

And go here for Chelsea v Arsenal

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Aston Villa v Wolves" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Liverpool's run of defeats cannot go on indefinitely, but what is there to suggest that it will end on Sunday against the Hammers?

I had this problem with Manchester City last season when they lost a lot of games but I kept thinking they would turn it around.

But you get to a stage where you have to just go with your gut, forget what a good team Liverpool used to be, and instead make a prediction based on the way they are playing at the moment.

There has definitely been an upturn in form from West Ham under Nuno Espirito Sanchez, and I can't see Liverpool keeping a clean sheet.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool are looking to arrest an alarming run of form against a West Ham side who have steadied their own ship this month, when they meet at the London Stadium on Sunday (14:05 GMT).

Things are going from bad to worse for Liverpool, with no sign of things changing any time soon.

The midweek defeat by PSV was their ninth loss in 12 matches, their worst such run since the 1953-54 season.

What was at first seen as a case of new players settling in and old players suffering dips in form has become a full-blown crisis that goes beyond tactics and systems.

"Morale needs lifting but it is very difficult to lift it," says former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock. "There are no easy games for them."

West Ham has been one of the easier fixtures in Liverpool's calendar, with the Reds losing just one of their past 18 Premier League games against the Hammers (W14, D3).

But Liverpool's record at the home of London clubs has been awful in 2025, while West Ham have rallied after losing seven of their first nine league games this season.

The Hammers have taken seven points from the last nine available. It would have been nine from nine had they not thrown away a 2-0 lead at Bournemouth last weekend.

It must have felt like points dropped, but there were plenty of positives for Nuno Espirito Santo's side, including Callum Wilson scoring in back-to-back league games for the first time in 18 months.

West Ham are now looking for their third home league win in a row, something they haven't achieved in the same season for three years.

Liverpool won this exact fixture 5-0 last season, a victory which stretched their lead at the top to eight points.

Less than a year later and the champions are languishing in the bottom half of the table and trying to avoid conceding three goals for the third league match in a row for the first time since 1955 – against a side who have scored three goals in each of their previous two home league matches.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Liverpool at London Stadium (kick-off 14:05 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "Both [Crysencio Summerville and Konstantinos Mavropanos] are getting better [and] still tomorrow to assess."

• Nuno believes confidence is steadily growing within the squad when playing at home: "Our fans have been supportive, and it's up to us to now try and deliver."

• He stressed, however, that success will ultimately come down to "what you do" on any given day, regardless of "what you did before."

• He underlined the team's broader aims, stating the "objective" is to "improve" players. He also recognised that not everyone can start every week but "all of them are going to be needed, even if you're not in the squad."

• On substituting Callum Wilson against Bournemouth last week after he had scored two goals: "[It was] something I think the team needed, but overall we didn't get the game and it was a good point. It's a tough place to go, and in the end, it was a positive game for us."

• He praised Wilson's mindset, highlighting his ambition and commitment to "challenging himself" to earn a place in England's World Cup squad. Nuno added he hopes Wilson succeeds and achieves it through scoring for West Ham.

• On what he anticipates from Liverpool and under-pressure counterpart Arne Slot:"I don't know. We can expect anything, especially teams that are in European competitions. Due to the amount of games, we cannot predict the starting XI. No matter who starts, we are going to face a tough XI."

• Addressing the wider managerial landscape, Nuno said there are "always questions" around managers and that such scrutiny "is part of the industry". His priority though remains on "how can I help my players, how can we prepare tomorrow, and then Sunday will come and we will have to compete."

• On Liverpool: "They are a good team. In football, what matters is what you do on the day. What we expect is [to play against] the champions of the Premier League, players that are talented and capable of doing good things."

• Finally, Nuno dismissed the importance of past results or current form in shaping the mindset of his players or staff.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Full commentary of West Ham v Liverpool from 14:05 GMT on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

West Ham are pushing for Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug to leave permanently in January and want to reinvest any funds from the 32-year-old's sale in one or two new forwards. (Florian Plettenberg), external

One option for the Hammers is 6ft 5in (1.96m) Union Saint-Gilloise striker Promise David and they could sign the 24-year-old Canada international for just £17m. (GiveMeSport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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