Graham Potter Earns First West Ham Win in 3-2 Thriller

Graham Potter secured his first win as West Ham head coach with a clinical 3-2 victory over Fulham in the Premier League, emphasizing a “foundation of togetherness” in his team’s performance. Despite a strong start from Fulham where Harry Wilson struck the bar, West Ham turned the game around with two goals in quick succession. Carlos Soler capitalized on an errant pass to curl in the opener followed by Tomas Soucek finishing a well-worked move set up by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Fulham threatened a comeback as Raul Jimenez hit the bar and Alex Iwobi’s curling effort, aided by Jimenez’s pressure on goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski cut the deficit. However, Lucas Paqueta restored West Ham’s two-goal cushion, pouncing on a mistake from Fulham’s Bernd Leno after Danny Ings applied pressure. Iwobi’s second goal, a cross that drifted into the net, set up a tense finish. Fulham had a golden chance to equalize in stoppage time but Adama Traore’s close-range effort sailed over the bar.

Potter praised his players’ effort and resilience, acknowledging the challenges of a tough week and missing forwards like Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug. Soucek highlighted the team’s unity under the new manager while Ings noted Potter’s encouragement for bravery, even in the face of mistakes. The win moved West Ham to 12th, 10 points clear of relegation while Fulham, unbeaten in their previous eight matches, remain ninth.

Fulham manager Marco Silva might view the result as unfortunate with defensive lapses from Andreas Pereira and Leno proving costly, as well as Traore’s missed opportunity. Despite defensive concerns, West Ham’s clinical finishing and signs of progress under Graham Potter provide optimism as they aim to climb the table.