West Ham 3-1 Sunderland: Hammers boost Premier League survival hopes

West Ham United boosted their Premier League survival hopes as they recorded back-to-back top-flight wins following an impressive 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the London Stadium.

Looking to build on last weekend's dramatic 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur and put pressure on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest ahead of their trip to high-flying Brentford on Sunday - live on Sky Sports - Nuno Espirito Santo's side found themselves in dreamland after goals from Crysencio Summerville, a Jarrod Bowen penalty and a Mateus Fernandes stunner saw them go in 3-0 up at half-time.

The home side were helped massively by Sunderland producing an uncharacteristically lacklustre first 45 minutes in the East End sunshine, perhaps partly due to the absence of captain and influential midfielder Granit Xhaka with an ankle injury.

However, such was the quality of West Ham's display it would be hard to imagine the scoreline being any different even if the Switzerland international had featured in the capital.

Summerville made the crucial breakthrough after just 14 minutes, powering home a close-range header after being picked out by Bowen's cross from the right, meaning that after a run of 28 games without a goal since October 2024, the winger has now scored in his last three appearances for the club.

That inch-perfect assist means the Hammers skipper now has the outright most goal involvements for the club in Premier League history [62 goals, 40 assists], moving one clear of Michail Antonio.

The hosts doubled their lead 14 minutes later after Trai Hume caught Oliver Scarles in the area, with Bowen keeping his cool from the spot to move further clear of Antonio, before the crowning moment of the half came two minutes before the interval.

Fernandes - who has impressed greatly since being brought in from Southampton last summer - was afforded too much time and space to line up a shot from 30 yards, with the 21-year-old Portuguese's effort flying past a helpless Black Cats No 1 Robin Roefs.

Regis Le Bris rightly made a triple change at the break - the Sunderland boss could have taken off all 10 outfield players - with his players responding by controlling the second period.

However, the Black Cats only had Brian Brobbey's header midway through the half to show for their improved efforts, with the most noteworthy action thereafter coming off the pitch when Xhaka became involved in a heated confrontation on the visitors' bench with a West Ham fan.

That incident failed to spoil the Hammers' day as Nuno's side, who were unlucky not to add a late fourth when that man Fernandes hit the underside of the bar with another long-range special, moved to within just two points of Forest after a third straight win in all competitions, while Sunderland stay in ninth