West Ham United

James Jones
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

Crysencio Summerville scored his first goal for West Ham on Sunday and his post-match comments should put to bed any suggestions that Julen Lopetegui has lost the dressing room.

One of the key narratives surrounding Lopetegui's tough start to life at the club has been that the players have lost trust and patience in the Spaniard and his ideas. It is often one of the first things people point towards during a difficult run of results, so it is no real surprise it has been suggested by some corners of the fanbase that it is "obvious" they do not like the new boss.

But Summerville's comments point to the complete opposite. He said: "I think this group is fantastic, and we all want to play for each other."

He did not say anything about Lopetegui directly, granted, but a player does not say something like that if it is not true. The sheer nature of his goal celebration, where he ran to the bench to celebrate with the suspended Mohammed Kudus, shows there are proper relationships within the squad and that these players care for each other. If there is care for each other, there is care for the team and its fortunes.

Lopetegui has found it hard to impose a working system onto this group of players so far but the victory over Manchester United, particularly in the second half, suggested he is getting closer to. It has taken longer than anyone would have liked, not least Lopetegui himself, but signs of something clicking is all we have wanted to see to this point.

The evidence now is whether they can follow that second half on Sunday up with a similar showing against an in-form Nottingham Forest next weekend and then at home to struggling Everton the week after. Maximum points from those two games will take West Ham up into the top 10 and should put all the negativity to bed.

Summerville's comments after the game show that the players are invested in whatever Lopetegui is trying to do. If they were not, they would not be so open about wanting each other to do well.

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There was late drama...

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And late drama...

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And late drama...

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Sometimes you just can't escape it.

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There were returns to goalscoring ways...

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And goalscoring partnerships...

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While sometimes the spoils just have to be shared...

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And after a busy day at work, sometimes you just need a lie down.

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between West Ham and Manchester United.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

James: I think we were lucky to win that one. Manchester United should have had us dead and buried by half-time. We were much better in the second half though. I'm delighted for Summerville getting his first goal, hopefully the first of many. I don't think it was a penalty, if I'm honest, and any team would be unhappy if that was given against them.

Mick: After 15 minutes, the question was: how many would Manchester United score? West Ham didn't have a defence! A total shambles. We were slower everywhere and had no fight and no ideas. Absolutely shocking. A team that can't defend against a team that can't score, what a joke! The changes helped - Summerville needs to start now and Antonio should be benched. We were very lucky.

Martyn: Relegation beckons, it's a reality. We can't even score enough goals on this rare occasion where we dominated. We are still too slow and ponder our build up, allowing the opposition to regroup and reorganise.

David: Papering over the cracks. We made a very poor Manchester United look like Brazil. Lopetegui can't carry on like this with no pace in midfield. Summerville has to start games now that Kudus is unavailable. I still think Lopetegui was the wrong choice and he is definitely still on borrowed time. He is certainly no improvement on David Moyes.

Man Utd fans

Steve: Another poor performance where we simply cannot get the ball in the net! The team selection was baffling. We spent £50m on a replacement for Casemiro and then we bench him, after a great midweek performance, in favour of Casemiro! Mazraoui at left-back and Dalot to right-back, why swap them? Top four is another planet for us under Erik ten Hag. It keeps getting worse.

Josh: Quite clearly not a penalty, but we are all used to VAR being utterly pointless now. However, United cannot use the official's error to mask their incompetence in front of goal. Ten Hag can't put the ball in the net for the players so they have to take the blame for their ineptitude, but he will probably lose his job because of it.

Charlie: United should have been out of sight by half-time. We have two centre forwards who are supposed to be goalscorers but, to be honest, it was money wasted. We are so slow playing out of defence - we pass, pass, pass across the pitch. It is the same old routine every game and it so easy for other teams to read. The tactics are all wrong, all because of the manager.

Rob: This is the third time I have called for Erik ten Hag to be sacked. What are the hierarchy waiting for? We are now three places off the relegation zone. If they don't put this wrong right now, be it on their heads! I have supported Manchester United for 50-plus years and this is the most frustrated I have ever been. The players need trimming and shaking up too.

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Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock spoke to BBC Match of the Day about Julen Loptegui's tactical tweak at half time in West Ham's victory against Manchester United:

"One of the players who struggled in the first half was Edson Alvarez. He struggled because of the pace of the game and Manchester United's movement in midfield.

"He got a little bit lost in positions at times. It's very clear that his job was to keep an eye on Bruno Fernandes.

"He [Loptegui] made the changes at half time and Edson Alvarez finds himself in the centre of the back three. He puts Emerson and [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka as his wing-backs and this changes the way West Ham can press and how they can get out from Manchester United's press.

"It was a really positive change from Lopetegui to alter the game. In the first half, they [Man Utd] created lots of opportunities. In the second half, when you've got five men behind the ball, it became one of them situations when Bruno Fernandes was taking pot shots from outside the box. As a defender, you're absolutely delighted about that."

Watch the full analysis of the match here

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Will Sunday's win against Manchester United be a turning point for West Ham?

It has been a difficult start to the season for new boss Julen Lopetegui but the home victory means they have 11 points from nine games and sit above United in 13th.

"You hope so," said former Hammers midfielder Nigel Re-Coker on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast. "A win is a win.

"One thing that worries me about West Ham is that you still don't know what you are going to get from them each time they play.

"Lopetegui still doesn't know his best line up and there are still cracks in their performance. There are still more questions than answers when I look at their team and their display.

"Hopefully it can be a platform so that they can go on, but I am still not confident that I can see structure in their style of play or in what he is implementing at the club."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says West Ham should not have been awarded a penalty for Matthijs de Ligt's challenge on Danny Ings.

After waving away initial penalty appeals, referee David Coote was sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR) to review De Ligt's challenge and overturned his previous decision by pointing to the spot.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says the penalty feels "unfair and unjust" and as a consequence of Jarrod Bowen converting from the spot, United fell to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season.

"It is not often I agree with Ten Hag but on this occasion I do because it was not a penalty," said Reo-Coker on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast. "De Ligt goes to challenge Ings and it is more of a coming together than a penalty.

"It is soft. If we are going to start giving penalties for that then we are just opening up another can of worms because it is ridiculous.

"I feel for United because it is harsh but it wasn't a great performance from them anyway."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

West Ham are interested in Atalanta and Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman, 27, as manager Julen Lopetegui hopes to boost his attacking options in January. (GiveMeSport), external

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

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's Four Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham 2-1 Man Utd

• Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool

Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

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After such an underwhelming start to the season, this is a statement win for West Ham and Julen Lopetegui.

The Spaniard had overseen just two Premier League wins at West Ham before Sunday's outing against Manchester United, with those coming against strugglers Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.

And while Manchester United aren't quite the club they once used to be, they were the better team for much of the afternoon and it was a poor opening 45 for West Ham.

But the Hammers held on, and things changed when Lopetegui made a triple substitution at half-time.

Crysencio Summerville was a threat down the left, while Danny Ings, who came on letter, was much more involved than Michail Antonio had been.

After last week's 4-1 defeat by Tottenham, this win is a positive sign that Lopetegui can get West Ham to respond to a shaky start to the campaign.

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West Ham have won consecutive Premier League home games for the first time in 2024 (4-1 v Ipswich Town and 2-1 v Manchester United), with December 2023 the last time they had done so.

Jarrod Bowen is now West Ham's top goalscorer in Premier League home games, overtaking Michail Antonio (32) with his penalty against Manchester United today (33).

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West Ham's Jarrod Bowen has been speaking to Premier League Productions about the win: "We knew we had to bounce back after a disappointing derby defeat. It was one of those games with lots of added time, where it requires everything and everybody. We all dug in today, even the fans."

On the penalty: "At the time, I saw [Danny] Ings got kicked and I think they got kicked so I thought it wasn't a penalty. I had a feeling it might get given and then Cre [Summerville] had the ball and it was a waiting game.

"With penalties, you have a routine and you know where you're going - but when you're waiting you are thinking: 'Shall I go the other way?' but I stuck with what I know, stepped up, wanted to dispatch it and thankfully I did that."

On the half-time teamtalk: "We were annoyed at ourselves because we were turning the ball over and giving them chances. We kept turning the ball over and shooting ourselves in the foot against a side with quality going forward.

"We rode our luck at times and the second-half was a different feel. We knew it would be difficult but all it takes is a moment. We had a couple of chances and it felt like we were in the game and the fans knew that.

"We conceded a poor goal and after that I think it was anyone's game. We come away with a massive three points."

On Summerville: "He has been brilliant. He trains superbly, is a great person off the pitch and has waited for his chances. Every time he plays, he has an impact and he has done that today. I can't speak highly enough of him."

On whether it is time to kick on: "It needs to be because this season we have been in positions where we have won 4-1 against Ipswich, then gone and lost 4-1 to Tottenham.

"It's about consistently winning games and, if you want to be successful, you have to see it as a building block."

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West Ham goalscorer Crysencio Summerville has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after taking all three points from Manchester United: "I thought when is the game going to finish?! We tried to build momentum and they scored for 1-1 and then you are looking for the winner. I'm very happy, we needed this."

On scoring his goal: "I saw Danny [Ings] was going to hit the bar and I just anticipated it and thought: 'Yes, I'm going to reach this ball'.

"There's a lot of emotions because every forward player wants to play. I try to help the team in any way I can. I said to [Mohamed] Kudus that if I go on, I'm going to score so that's why I went to him."

On the penalty decision: "I'm surprised because we played on. I tried to distract them as though I was going to take it, but it was a long wait. The win was much needed for our confidence."

On getting more game time: "I'm always patient and I do my best on the training ground. I have to respect the coach's decision, but I try to help the team as best as possible."

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the victory: "I'm happy for the three points. We are happy for the fans and players, they deserve this victory after suffering a lot in the first-half. In the second-half, we changed different things.

"The first-half was for them, but the second-half was for us. We were able to compete better and win the match.

"We had some players with yellow cards so we changed it at half-time because we wanted to be aggressive. I wanted to put Crysencio Summerville on. I thought he was key in second-half. His energy and his way of playing allowed us to get the goal.

"Fortunately, we won. We kept positive when they scored. We appreciate the support from the fans.

"Each week I can make changes, thinking of ideas how to play against the opponent. I was thinking today Summerville could be key in the second-half, but he will play a lot. He did well, we are happy for him and for the team, the players and the fans."

On the penalty incident: "I didn't see it. The players say it is a penalty and the referee says it is a penalty, so I am sure they are right but I haven't seen it.

"I prefer to highlight that, after they scored, we kept the energy and positive momentum to win the match. I prefer to keep that energy.

"We had a bad result last week, but that can happen, and today we have won against a big team. To win any match is a big challenge. It's difficult and you have to go to the limits. We have to keep the energy to compete and be better."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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

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

• Chelsea v Newcastle - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Crystal Palace v Tottenham - listen on the BBC Sport website

• West Ham v Man Utd - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Arsenal v Liverpool - 16:30 - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-offs 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction on our live page here

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

For week nine he takes on rapper Nemzzz, who supports Manchester United.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Things did not get any better for Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui with their defeat against Tottenham, and it seems he still doesn’t know what the 'West Ham way' is.

The Hammers need a big improvement, but this game is more about what Manchester United do and whether they turn up.

They were excellent in the second half of their win over Brentford last time out, but now they need to back it up, and for 90 minutes.

Can they do it? You just never know with Manchester United, and I've given up on backing them to beat anyone.

They are inconsistent and what doesn’t help is that they are playing in Turkey in the Europa League on Thursday night, so team selection and tiredness has to come into the equation too.

My daughter is doing some maths revision with me at the moment, working out the area of triangles - you multiply the height by the width, then halve it.

I can get all of those sums right, but I am always wrong about United, so I am going to let her make this prediction.

Nemzzz's prediction: 0-2

United to win. Am I confident? Definitely! Well, I hope so anyway.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

West Ham and Manchester United harboured ambitions of European qualification this season, but both sit in the bottom half of the Premier League after eight games.

With both Julen Lopetegui and Erik ten Hag coming under fire for their underwhelming starts, who needs a victory more when the two teams play each other on Sunday?

Former Hammers goalkeeper David James tells The Football News Show why he thinks Manchester United are a "glorified Tottenham" and why a win for West Ham would kickstart their season.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

Ex-West Ham goalkeeper David James and former Premier League striker Jermaine Beckford join The Football News Show to analyse the Hammers' summer transfer business.

They look for answers to explain why Julen Lopetegui's side have struggled for form at the start of the Premier League season.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer