Nuno Santo feels the heat as West Brom sink West Ham 3-1 to leave the Championship promotion favourites six points off the pace
West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo faced the wrath of the London Stadium crowd after a 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in the Championship on Saturday. A second straight home loss leaves the Championship promotion favourites eighth and six points off the pace, while a slick and measured Albion side moved into the top four in front of 3,000 travelling fans.
Nuno feels the heat as home woes continue
West Ham have now lost back-to-back home games, shipping six goals across the two defeats, and Saturday's loss offered few saving graces for Nuno. Sky Sports reported that the head coach faced the wrath of the fans on the final whistle.
The Hammers' bid to regain their Premier League status had already been undermined by patchy home form, notably last-gasp penalty misses against Charlton and QPR that ultimately cost them three points. Albion's supporters revelled in the discomfort of Nuno, once manager of their Black Country arch-rivals Wolves.
Myhre punishes West Ham before Bowen levels
West Ham have fallen behind in nine of their previous 15 games, and the pattern continued. The hosts created the first chance when Edvin Austbo's darting run set up Mohammadou Kante, whose shot was deflected over by Jayson Molumby.
After 20 minutes, Isaac Price's pass carved the defence open and Jimmy-Jay Morgan's low centre was turned in from point-blank range by the unmarked Felix Horn Myhre. Price should have made it 2-0 but spooned wide from eight yards, before captain Jarrod Bowen's shot deflected off Callum Styles and in at the near post for his seventh goal of the season.
Morgan and Styles seal deserved Albion win
Bowen's equaliser did not placate the home supporters, who booed the Hammers off at the interval, and within three minutes of the restart Albion were back in front. Myhre cushioned Price's left-wing cross into the path of Morgan, who fired his fourth goal of the season across Mads Hermansen.
Max O'Leary kept out efforts from Max Kilman and Kyle Walker-Peters, but within two minutes of Walker-Peters limping off with a thigh injury, with Nuno having used all five substitutes, Styles struck. Price's corner was only half-cleared and his fierce, deflected shot from 20 yards gave Hermansen no chance.
Cardiff test next for Nuno's West Ham
West Ham rarely threatened a comeback, with substitute Taty Castellanos' bicycle kick straight at O'Leary in added time their only real effort.
With the supporters' patience wearing ominously thin, Nuno must find a quick response when West Ham face Cardiff City on Wednesday if the promotion favourites are to close the gap on the leaders and revive their push for an immediate return to the Premier League.
