West Ham United

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A VAR related question was put to chief football writer Phil McNulty on Monday's Q&A.

@nubiblue on 'X' asked: Is the new improved VAR working? To me it continues to favour certain clubs.

Phil answered: First of all, I don't believe VAR favours certain clubs and quite honestly, I've not noticed too much difference or huge improvement.

Maybe a little less interference but I confess I lost a lot of faith in VAR after initially being a strong advocate.

I would be happy with semi-automated offside and line technology.

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

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

James: Signs of what Lopetegui is trying to implement came through today, especially the second half. Todibo has cemented his place as a starter next to Kilman now. Great to have Alvarez back, who was class.

P CBM: That was entertaining and the reason Moyes was let go. AWB good, Kilman and Tobido looking more assured. Bowen and Kudus lively. Paqueta still not at his best and the midfield still not quite functioning smoothly.

Walter: Ipswich were not as bad as this result suggests although the Hammers could/should have had three more goals! It’s clear Antonio is only good for an hour so we will have to accept this. I think Paqueta is a luxury we can’t always afford - losing possession and failed tricks always leave us open. I would rather have Ward-Prowse. Three points. Beat United and we are off!

Ben: We needed a win, and we got that, along with a performance. Not perfect as they had a few decent chances they didn’t take, but four goals should help on the confidence front. Kudus and Paqueta scoring their first for the season also a plus.

Ipswich fans

James: An off day but disappointing all the same, especially after Villa. A harsh lesson in life in the Premier League - you have to cut down unforced errors and take your chances. I remain positive though; we have a pragmatic manager who will learn from this and I don't doubt the commitment of the players. Plus, at least we seem to be capable of scoring.

Adam: First time this season we've looked off the pace and unorganised. Too many defensive mistakes that were punished. Tuanzebe was a big miss for us.

Scott: Hutchinson and Clarke as 10s don't work. Let's go back to Broadhead and Chaplin after the international break. Still think Delap will keep us up. He is a real handful with very little support.

Andrew: You can’t change a team that was Championship standard last season by putting in four new players. Playing style needs to change also. The need to tighten up at the back is painfully obvious, as well as being clinical in front of goal.

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Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer says Saturday's 4-1 thumping of Ipswich was a "big win" for Julen Lopetegui as he recorded his first home league victory as West Ham boss.

"West Ham played some really good stuff, especially in forward positions," Shearer told Match of the Day.

"They were just too good for Ipswich; their passing, moving - and they wanted it more when they got balls into the box. That was a regular thing.

"They looked quick and really skilful in forward positions. The switches of play were sharp. Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio were all on form.

"You've got all those guys clicking and they had 13 shots on target which shows you how dominant they were. They were enjoying themselves and they were just too quick.

"Their passing and movement was too much for Ipswich. They all wanted the ball.

"It was such an important game that they had to win. There was massive pressure on them.

"Big win for Julen Lopetegui and great for the fans because there would have been huge pressure if they hadn't won. Thoroughly deserved."

Watch Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer

West Ham are interested in bringing former Leicester City and Newcastle United forward Ayoze Perez back to the Premier League, in the hope that the 31-year-old Villarreal player can improve their attacking options. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 3-2 Fulham

• Everton 0-0 Newcastle

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist at London Stadium

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West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen provided the perfect response to being left out of the England squad with a stunning performance as the Hammers overpowered Ipswich Town to record their first home league win of the season.

Bowen set up a goal within the opening 48 seconds with Michail Antonio on the end of his low, tempting cross from the right.

Ipswich equalised and should have taken the lead before Mohammed Kudus made it 2-1 to the hosts just before half time, with a game-changing goal.

West Ham were far superior in the second half and Bowen's angled strike into the bottom corner inside the first five minutes after the restart took the game out of the visitors' reach.

Bowen, not included in Lee Carsley's England squad, which was named on Thursday, for next week's Nations League matches against Greece and Finland, got his third goal involvement of the afternoon and his second assist late on.

It was a fine square pass with the outside of the boot, with Lucas Paqueta having the straightforward task of tapping into the net from close range.

Unsurprisingly Bowen was named man of the match and if he can maintain this form over the next few months then an England recall will soon be coming his way.

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West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, speaking to Sky Sports: "It’s always important [to win].

"It was an important day for us but we deserved to win against a good team like Ipswich. We started very well but suffered a goal in an action I think we can avoid but after the mentality was strong."

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West Ham had 13 shots on target against Ipswich, their most in a Premier League game on record (since 2003-04).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on West Ham's performance, external

What did you make of Ipswich's display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Follow reaction and read the match report

Ipswich's Kalvin Phillips has spoken about his loan spell at West Ham on the latest episode of My Mate's A Footballer with Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and comedian Joe Wilkinson.

The trio also chatted about an incident where Phillips was allegedly caught making an offensive gesture towards Newcastle fans while on loan at the Hammers last season.

Ipswich travel to West Ham this afternoon where the 28-year-old is set to lineup against his former club.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

It has been a hectic start to the Premier League season with some clubs making a fast start while others are yet to get going.

But whose boots are made for walking the most so far?

Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa has walked the most after six games, just 0.1 km more than Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

Interestingly, Haaland and Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo walk a lot despite being forwards.

Maybe the reason why Haaland has been able to establish himself as one of the fastest players and why Semenyo has made so many sprints is that they conserve their energy for the biggest moments where they can make the most impact.

Meanwhile, it is not just distance walked that we have tracked.

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha has spent more of his time on the pitch walking than any other player in the Premier League so far.

It is also interesting that both of Tottenham’s centre-backs spend so much of their time walking, given Spurs' high possession, high pressing, style of play.

This might mean Cristiano Romero and Micky van de Ven can conserve energy for when things get a bit chaotic (or they fancy a marauding run)?

This could especially be true for van de Ven who has been the fastest player in the competition so far.

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Liverpool - 12:30

• Arsenal v Southampton

• Brentford v Wolves

• Leicester v Bournemouth

• Man City v Fulham (listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• West Ham v Ipswich

• Everton v Newcastle - 17:30 (listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-off 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week seven, he takes on Will Champion and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, whose latest album, Moon Music, came out on Friday.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

This is hard. I don't like to give credit to Ipswich if I can help it, but they have really impressed me.

At this moment in time, they are a better structured team than West Ham. They showed it with the way they finished their draw with Aston Villa last week, and the only downside from the way they have started the season is the fact they don't have a win yet.

With the quality the Hammers have got, eventually it has to click for them, but it has not happened yet.

As much as I hate to predict an Ipswich defeat, I am going to stick my neck out and say the Hammers will get their act together this time.

Basically, I am backing them to produce a performance that they have not managed all season under Julen Lopetegui.

They have to really. There was so much made of him taking over from David Moyes, that he really needs a result - West Ham fans are not always the most patient bunch, and they are expecting more than they have seen so far.

Will and Jonny's prediction: 1-1

Read the rest of their predictions and have your own say here

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Three top-10 Premier League finishes and winning the club their first piece of silverware since 1980 - and their first European trophy since 1965 - was not enough to earn David Moyes a new contract.

His replacement was always going to have to deal with rising expectations and three successive home defeats, along with a 5-1 thrashing at Liverpool to go out of the Carabao Cup, has been a tough start for Julen Lopetegui.

But, as he can rightly say, those home losses have been to Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea, games even the most optimistic Hammer would expect to be difficult.

However, a home match against a newly promoted side without a top-flight win since April 2002 is one the West Ham fans will be demanding three points from.

If the Hammers lose at home to Ipswich Town on Saturday then Lopetegui would find himself under huge pressure, while a win would leave them comfortably in mid-table and with something to build on.

A quirk of the fixture schedule has seen his side play all six of their league matches in the capital, and that run continues for their next three games with Ipswich and Manchester United coming to east London and an away game at Tottenham sandwiched in the middle.

While West Ham are yet to win at London Stadium in the league in 2024-25, they are yet to lose a league game away from there.

A victory for Lopetegui’s side at the weekend would take them to eight points from seven matches, matching the start Moyes had at the beginning of his first spell midway through the 2017-18 campaign.

Slaven Bilic, with four wins and a draw and 13 points in 2015-16, has the best record among West Ham's Premier League managers in their opening seven league matches in charge.

The lowest totals are the five points gained by Harry Redknapp, Glenn Roeder, Avram Grant and Moyes in his second spell.

Lopetegui needs to avoid defeat against Ipswich to move clear of those bosses.

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Tomas Soucek netted his 29th Premier League goal for West Ham in their 1-1 draw with Brentford, overtaking Milan Baros (28) into second place for the top Czech scorers in the competition's history, behind only Patrik Berger (38 goals).

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Ipswich (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Striker Niclas Fullkrug remains out of action because of injury, but the rest of his squad are available. On Fullkrug, the Spaniard said: "We would like that he was fit now. He has had a little problem. Hopefully we are going to have him ready for the next matches."

• On how he and his players are approaching Saturday's game: "As with all of the matches, we have big expectations and we are trying to work hard, but knowing we are going to play against a good team."

• Speaking about Saturday's opponents, he continued: "Ipswich have worked together for three years with a very good coach. They have a consistent team, that's why they have not lost against Fulham, Brighton, Southampton or Aston Villa. They work well as a team, with and without the ball. We have to be ready to compete to be able to win this match."

• Lopetegui was asked if there is pressure on his team to secure a first Premier League home win this season: "It's normal because we want to win at home and we haven't done that until now. We have not lost away but it is not enough - we want more. We are working to win the next match against Ipswich and that is our main aim."

• On whether he knows his preferred starting XI, Lopetegui said: "We put focus on the [starting] line-up but there is the same importance on the bench players. We have one squad and we can choose one player or another depending on the opponent or the moment of the match."

• On the importance of Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta to the success of the team: "It's important that the team play well and work well. It's about all of them, not about one player or two. Football is a collective game and we want all of them to work as a team and work for the team. This is the only way I know how to be a strong team."

Follow the rest of the day's football news

Xavier Bird
BBC Radio London Sport

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After all the big spending in the summer by West Ham, the most exciting prospect from their 1-1 draw at Brentford on Saturday was a player who they signed last year.

Konstantinos Mavropanos is conventionally a centre-back. Before Saturday, he had never played any other position at senior level in English football before Saturday.

So when he was brought on for an injured Emerson at half time at Gtech Community Stadium, Hammers fans got to see something they had not laid witness to before, and were pleasantly surprised with the results. Aaron Wan-Bissaka moved over to play left-back, while Mavropanos played out an extremely effective 45 minutes at right-back.

It is a position he had only played in four times before in senior football, all of those during his loan spell at Stuttgart from Arsenal. But he looked very much at home, galloping up the touchline in attack while also adding a degree of solidity at the back.

"I’d never seen him play there," Julen Lopetegui told BBC Radio London after the game. "But I could imagine that he’d play very well. He has a lot of good things. Sometimes it’s not easy to be ready (as a substitute), but he was ready, and he played very well.”

West Ham were the better side in the second half, and possibly should have gone on to win the game. It’s no coincidence that their improvement in the second half came after Mavropanos was introduced.

The Hammers host Ipswich Town on Saturday at 15:00 BST with full commentary live on BBC Radio London.

James Jones
Fan writer

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It was another case of Tomas Soucek to the rescue for West Ham at the weekend.

Soucek has been criticised by some, with supporters seemingly feeling he remains a symbol of David Moyes' negative style of play in a season where a new manager has been tasked with making the Hammers more easy on the eye.

But Soucek's impact must not be underestimated - and he should go down as one of the most important players in the club's Premier League history.

His goal against Brentford was his 34th in all competitions for West Ham and his 45th goal involvement since signing for the club in 2020. He has hit double figures for goals twice, which is impressive enough for a defensive midfielder.

His 29 Premier League goals have won the club 25 points over the past four-and-a-half years, with six of his goals coming after the 80th minute of matches.

And then in Europe, he has made more appearances in continental competition than anyone else in the club's history (32). He also scored the all-important first goal in that famous victory over Sevilla.

Soucek is not the best passer of the ball and is gangly in appearance, but his ability to arrive late in the box is second to none, while the ground he covers makes him an important pair of lungs in midfield.

Last season, for example, only Dejan Kulusevski and Pascal Gross covered more ground than Soucek in a single match, with the Czech making up four of the top 10 games for distance covered (Oracle, external via Premier League)

So what he lacks in flair and trickery, he makes up in effort, desire and goalscoring ability.

That is why those West Ham supporters who want to see the back of him need to put a bit more respect on his name.

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

West Ham and Aston Villa are battling to sign Valencia's 24-year-old Spanish forward Hugo Duro for up to £25m. (Caught Offside), external

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

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

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Ian: All I say is don't miss kick off. A game of two halves today. A fast start from Brentford and then the second Brentford goal didn't materialise. Damsgaard is finding his form in a Brentford shirt and will be an asset during our injury issues.

Mark: Three first-minute goals now, leading to two losses and a draw. Simply not good enough.

Ben: 100% missing a striker that can find the net. 19 shots today and only three on target. New players and manager need time to gel but things need to pick up quickly.

Guvnah: Can't hold on to a lead. Three games in a row with goals in the first minute. I'm looking forward to getting a full squad back. But I'll take a point in a scrappy game.

West Ham fans

Sid: It’s confusing for sure. The increased possession is positive, the confusion over who should be doing what less so. I thought Kudus was one of our best players first half and the only attacking threat. So it was a strange substitution. We don’t look fit enough after 60 minutes. Antonio was done and others too. At least Todibo made a good start.

Frank: I have no idea what this manager does in training but we might as well have started a fire and burned £130m. He looks clueless. Aaron Wan-Bissaka thinks he is a midfielder and does not know how to defend and the whole lot look a shambles. European football next year…no chance.

Jonny: Not sure what our manager is doing to be honest. The substitutions are bizarre and we don't have any shape. I think he is trying to be too clever, Mavropanos at right-back? With Coufal on the bench? Soler on for Kudus? But, saying all that a point away from home in the Premier League is good. Just wish we had a settled side. Hopefully this will come in the weeks ahead.

Ken: A terrible start but better performance particularly in the second half. We worked hard with little return. Much better than it has been recently, but we should be beating teams like Brentford after all the money that's been spent.