West Ham United

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West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to Sky Sports after the defeat: "I think it is not easy to explain the match. We did not take advantage of the chances and we have to improve the little details. We are in a moment where this unlucky thing [the first goal] happens.

"The second goal was a big knock for us. The third goal was from one counter-attack. For all of their goals, we can do better. After we scored, we had good moments again but it is not enough. It is a pity.

"We regained a lot of balls but the little details and individual actions played against us. The message [to the players] is if you don't take your chances and score, they will win the match.

"The first goal was lucky for them, the second goal was big quality but even then we can do better. We have to improve with the moments we have and also be more solid.

"I think we did very good things, even if it is difficult to say when you lose 4-1."

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This is West Ham United's sixth Premier League defeat by a three or more goal margin this season, more than any other side.

All three of Niclas Fullkrug's Premier League goal involvements for the Hammers have come on the road (two goals and one assist).

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West Ham United captain Tomas Soucek has been speaking to Sky Sports: "We are upset because we had a good chance to take the points from Manchester City. Especially in the first half, I had a good chance, we had a few others and then we conceded a deflected goal.

"We tried to compete - and we did - but the result is not good.

"We have suffered a few big defeats. We have one way which we are building in training, which we wanted to show. In many ways we did, but we have to try not to concede goals.

"Jarrod [Bowen] is a big miss for us. This season he has been great, but this is football and we need to step up for him now.

"We showed more with the ball and we had chances but we need to concentrate on getting points."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Man City supporters - what did you make of the match?

West Ham fans - let us know your thoughts

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

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Tottenham v Newcastle (12:30)

• Aston Villa v Leicester

• Bournemouth v Everton

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Man City v West Ham

• Southampton v Brentford

• Brighton v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

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

For week 20, he takes on The Zutons frontman Dave McCabe, who supports Liverpool.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Jarrod Bowen's injury is a huge blow for West Ham because he has been their best player this season. I thought the Hammers' displays were picking up, but then they got absolutely demolished by Liverpool.

So, this feels like a good time for Manchester City to play them as they look to build on their win at Leicester.

That was not a particularly pretty performance but that part does not matter for Pep Guardiola's side at the moment.

It is all about taking small steps for City as they try to find some form again, so it was important for them to see Erling Haaland back on the scoresheet against the Foxes, and to keep their first clean sheet in five games.

This game might be a similar story in that City will have to scrap a bit, but again I expect them to get the job done.

McCabe's prediction: 3-0

We played West Ham the other day, and they weren't very good.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has praised Luis Guilherme's "very, very good" mentality as he backed the 18-year-old Brazilian to help replace the injured Jarrod Bowen.

Forward Guilherme has played just 20 minutes of football in three substitute appearances for the Hammers so far, but is now set to feature more with Bowen out for up to six weeks and Michail Antonio a long-term absentee.

West Ham go into Saturday's game at Manchester City 13th in the Premier League, eight points above the relegation places.

"Step by step he's more ready to help us and he's going to take advantage of his opportunity," Lopetegui said of Guilherme.

"I have the feeling that, with time, he's going to become a very good player for the Premier League.

"He has one very, very good thing: his mentality. He's a hard worker. He's a very humble boy and a very smart boy. He wants to improve. That's why I think that he's going to have a good future.

"I would like that his future is as soon as possible because we want to take advantage of him. I have a good opinion about the future because of his condition, physical, technical and his mentality.

"Mentality is key in all the players. If you have the right mentality, you are able to survive in the Premier League."

As we enter a new calendar year and the halfway point of the season, the Opta Supercomputer has been busy making its predictions.

But who is looking most likely to be playing their football outside the top flight next season?

It is bad news for fans of the teams who made their return to the Premier League this campaign.

According to the Opta Supercomputer's simulations, Southampton - rooted to the bottom of the table on just six points - are all but guaranteed to be playing Championship football again next term with a 99.47% chance of being relegated.

The picture is also not a rosy one for Leicester City and Ipswich Town supporters, who occupy the other two relegation spots. The Supercomputer does not see too much change there - the Foxes and the Tractor Boys having a 74.61% and 70.81% chance of relegation respectively.

It is better news for Wolves under new head coach Vitor Pereira, with Wanderers now having only a 39.21% chance of a Championship return, while Everton fans will be pleased to see they have just a 12.52% chance as they hope to see Premier League football in their new stadium next season.

Crystal Palace, West Ham and Brentford can all breathe easier with Opta predicting just a 1.68%, 0.81% and 0.72% chance of relegation respectively.

And what about Manchester United after new boss Ruben Amorim declared them to be facing a relegation battle? Well, it is good news for Red Devils fans as the chance of them actually playing Championship football next campaign is just 0.11%.

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West Ham have conceded at least once in each of their past 24 Premier League games against Manchester City – only against Sunderland have they had a longer run without a clean sheet in their league history (25 between 1923 and 1968). That streak ended with an 8-0 win, and Geoff Hurst scored six goals.

In 2024, West Ham conceded more goals than any other Premier League side (79), finishing the year with a 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool.

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Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush is "going to be a superstar", says German football expert Raphael Honigstein.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League after an impressive first half of the campaign that has seen him score 18 goals and provide 12 assists in just 24 games.

It is form not too dissimilar to that of his international team-mate Mohamed Salah, drawing understandable parallels between the two.

"A really dynamic, wide forward who can play through the middle - he is not really a winger and he is not really a centre-forward; he is in between," Honigstein told the BBC Euro Leagues podcast.

"Some people have compared him to his compatriot Mohamed Salah. He is perhaps not quite as tricky and explosive but his finishing is incredible. He is one of those players that came to Germany when he was 18 and for six years and you think 'OK, interesting player but probably not really going to set the world alight,' then suddenly this season he has absolutely exploded to a different level.

"It is to the point we are talking 60-70m euros, maybe 80m euros, in the transfer market. There will be a big move ahead for him and that is why he is one to watch because it is very unlikely Eintracht Frankfurt will stick with him. Some big clubs will come in for him and, if he continues on the same path, he is going to be a superstar.

"He will be a great buy for whoever gets him."

French football journalist Julien Laurens agreed, saying: "He can probably get even better because he is still young. He has had to wait for his career to click and now he has got that confidence and momentum.

"If he plays with better players in big clubs with better coaching, then there is even more to come from him."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

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

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• It is still unclear how long Jarrod Bowen will be sidelined for after fracturing his foot against Liverpool on Sunday: "It's not going to be a few days, that's for sure. He was able to play 50 minutes with the injury, but now he has to rest and recover. It's not good news for us. I prefer not to say a number because we have to see how he is going to develop."

• On how big a blow his absence will be: "He is one of our main players and our captain too, but we have to be able to find solutions. It is a moment for other players to show they are ready to help us. We believe in the players that are in the squad, they are going to try to take advantage of this opportunity."

• He will be turning to his "leadership group", which includes left-back Aaron Cresswell and defensive midfielder Tomas Soucek, to find someone to step up and captain the side in Bowen's absence.

• Michail Antonio being discharged from hospital and being allowed to recover at home is "good news" but the forward is still "going to be out for a long time".

• On whether he will have to bolster his forward options in the current transfer window due to having two forwards out for an unknown time frame: "It is true that we have these two important losses, but the squad knows that we need someone [to step up]. At the moment, the squad is going to work around this."

• Meanwhile, striker Niclas Fullkrug is "step-by-step getting better and putting his body in the best condition" so he is "ready to help" the team, but he added: "It is up to our choice. We can choose him or another player, because Danny Ings is ready too and we can use other players in that position.

• Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will also be back in contention after serving the Premier League's 10-day protocol for head injuries.

• On reaching the halfway stage of his first season in charge of the Hammers: "I think we have had good moments but also moments where we have to improve, so we are more demanding with ourselves. We start the second part of this season with the team knowing me better and me knowing the team better. I think that is the base we are trying to build on."

• He is expecting a "demanding match" against Manchester City: "I am sure that we are going to play one of the best teams around the world. You can speak about the last weeks but I prefer to put the focus on the team we are about to face, and I know that we are going to face a very good team with top players and a top coach. We need to put the focus on our strengths and believe in ourselves to overcome this demand."

• Lopetegui was asked about West Ham's decent away form of only three defeats from nine games on the road: "I think that we try to do well at home and away, for me it has the same importance. We have tried in the last matches to make it very tough to score in the last moments, such as the last part of the first half and the second half. We try to keep the positives and try to improve the things that we have to improve."

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

West Ham, Brentford and Fulham are monitoring the contract situation of 29-year-old English midfielder Will Hughes at Crystal Palace. (Football Insider), external

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

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We asked what West Ham's New Year resolutions should be.

Here are some of your replies:

Ray: The first thing that needs to be done is to get rid of Julen Lopetegui and his coaching staff and appoint Graham Potter or Michael Carrick!

Petar: Tactical changes are required to stabilise performance. Most importantly the defensive set up needs to improve and corresponding defensive adjustments need to be made to adapt to opponents in order to avoid such disgrace as against Liverpool. Such results are not necessary, there is always a solution, no matter what the quality of the opponent's attackers is. This is with the manager to impose!

Richard: The club needs to turn to it's traditional academy of players and bring them through quicker. Signings need to be more astute and target areas where the team need obvious strengthening.

Bob: Change the manager or get the players to play for the shirt rather than the money! Bring back Mark Noble!

Terry: Having watched many games this season, one New Year's resolution for West Ham is a midfield to run a game rather than be run through by the opposition every game.

Dave: For the New Year we can only wish for Sullivan, Brady and Lopetegui to leave and for new owners to take us forward not backwards.

As it's the New Year, we thought we'd share Michail Antonio's powerful message with you again.

Antonio, 34, was discharged from hospital on Tuesday, more than three weeks after undergoing surgery on a lower limb fracture following a car crash.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham have confirmed captain Jarrod Bowen has fractured his left foot.

Bowen, who is the Hammers top goal scorer and assist maker this season, limped off in the 60th minute during West Ham's 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

West Ham put no timescale on Bowen's injury but a foot fracture typically takes several weeks to heal as a minimum.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United will donate close to £60,000 to charity after auctioning match-worn items from their recent Premier League match against Wolves.

The auction took place after Michail Antonio's road traffic accident and the money raised will be equally split between NHS Charities Together and Air Ambulances UK.

Signed walk-out tops and every match-worn shirt from the Wolves fixture were auctioned, which fetched in £29,613 - which the club's board matched, to bring the final total to £59,226.

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said: "It's been special to see the West Ham family and the wider football community come together in support of Mic over the last month.

"We are all grateful for the care that both the NHS and Air Ambulances UK have given to Mic during a challenging time for him and his family, and for what they continue to do every single day for people around the country.

"Pulling together during difficult times is what being a part of West Ham United is all about and on behalf of the team, I want to thank everyone for helping us to raise an incredible amount of money for two great causes."

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Former West Ham manager David Moyes says he is "disappointed" with how the Hammers are playing and believes he helped bring a really good stability to the club.

The Scot left the club at the end of last season, and during his time at the club helped them qualify for Europe three times in a row and win the Uefa Conference League.

The club currently sit 13th in the league, and speaking about his former club to Radio 5 Live Breakfast after receiving an OBE in the New Years Honours list, Moyes was asked if he feels happy that his former club are not doing well.

"It's a strange question - it can sometimes be like that, but I brought in so many of the players there," he said.

"I'm so loyal to them, from the Czech boys to Jarrod Bowen. So many of them I brought in and I've got a great relationship with.

"We had just about got to a period of really good stability at West Ham, so that would be the bit.

"The people who watch football and know will tell you, West Ham have had different difficulties throughout at different times - but I think the last three or four years were really stable.

"Regular in Europe three years in a row, finishing in a decent position in the league. I'm just more disappointed that it's not quite looking as stable as what it was then."

West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui will be given more time, despite the Hammers' poor form this season. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column