West Ham United

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at the London Stadium (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He says Sunday's match at the London Stadium will be a chance to "celebrate and honour" the memory of club legend Billy Bonds.

• He was reluctant to give much away on team news, saying some players still need to be assessed for the weekend.

• On who will replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf when they depart for the Africa Cup of Nations, Nuno said Oliver Scarles is back in training so will be an option to play in their place.

• He spoke about the importance of the midfield battle on Sunday and said it will often be a "'man-to-man" battle so his players will have to match or better their Villa counterparts.

• On the importance of Jarrod Bowen: "I hope he can be involved in every minute because what he gives to the team is huge. He leads by example, but if the situation comes [that he gets injured], I have a group of players who I believe can contribute in the aspect of leadership."

• He was asked if the club plan to re-invest the money made from the summer sale of Mohamed Kudus, but simply said it is not the time to think about such things.

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

Listen to full commentary of West Ham v Aston Villa from 14:00 GMT on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

West Ham have been watching Rio Ave's 26-year-old Brazilian forward Clayton, who is joint top scorer in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. (Teamtalk), external

West Ham's hopes of signing Promise David from Union Saint-Gilloise have suffered a setback as the Canada forward, 24, is reluctant to swap Champions League football for a Premier League relegation battle. (Talksport), external

The Hammers are preparing a January bid for Zulte Waregem's 22-year-old Nigerian midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi. (Teamtalk), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Holly Turbutt
Fan contributor

West Ham looked set for a huge win at Brighton but late drama again clipped their wings.

So how can the Hammers make sure they hold onto leads?

Find more from Holly Turbutt at West Ham Network, external

Aston Villa are interested in Strasbourg's 23-year-old Argentinian striker Joaquin Panichelli, with Chelsea and West Ham also monitoring him. (Teamtalk), external

West Ham and Crystal Palace are tracking Lens defender Samson Baidoo, 21, as a reinforcement for their backline. (Teamtalk), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

The FA Cup third round will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

Find out who your Premier League club will play below.

• Wolves v Shrewsbury Town

• Tottenham v Aston Villa

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Manchester City v Exeter City

• West Ham v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Everton v Sunderland

• Liverpool v Barnsley

• Burnley v Millwall

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Newcastle v Bournemouth

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace

• Manchester United v Brighton

See full draw here

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup will take place on Monday, 8 December at around 18:40 GMT, before the broadcast of Brackley Town v Burton Albion - the final game of the Second Round.

Former England internationals Joe Cole and Peter Crouch will conduct the draw that will consist of 64 teams on TNT Sports.

The 20 winners of the second-round ties will be joined by all 20 Premier League clubs and 24 Championship teams in the third round.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 10 January 2026.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra-time and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

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

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Mick: A poor game - we got it tactically wrong. West Ham parked the bus and hit us on the break. We lacked intensity, energy and in some cases, effort. Too many passes going astray meant West Ham were always in with a chance. Charalampos Kostoulas should be given a start. Keep the faith.

Sarah: One of the worst games I've ever seen Brighton play! It would've been nice to think we could've settled into a comfortable win over West Ham but our scrappy play, sloppy passing, lack of forward motion and lack of energy or passion made them look like the team who deserved the win. We couldn't keep possession and looked totally out of ideas. Even after we went 1-0 down, we still didn't seem to have any enthusiasm for winning and looked more like we were the team running down the clock!

Jean: You would've thought Brighton were sitting at the bottom of the Premier League. That game was painful to watch.

Doug: Pedestrian football - no plan, kept the ball too long under pressure, and poor passing resulting in either play breaking down or giving the ball away. I would like to see two players on the halfway line when we are defending corners.

West Ham fans

Dave: A better all-round performance, however I don't have any confidence in our manager due to his plan of shutting up shop with only a goal lead. This useless manager has cost us four points. He has got to go as he is just going to get us relegated.

Alan: West Ham were superior throughout and only a gross miscarriage of justice gave Brighton a point. Accidental handball? Brighton fans must be laughing at VAR!

David: Great play and great goal by Jarrod Bowen. Obviously we were very unlucky not to get more. Brighton's goal should have been disallowed because the overhead kick was way too close to Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Mel: Playing without an established striker is never ideal. Bowen works tirelessly for the team but he is not a natural number nine.

Match of the Day's Thomas Hitzlsperger and Shay Given unpick Georginio Rutter's late equaliser for Brighton in their 1-1 draw with West Ham, and share a number of "frustrations" that it was allowed to stand.

Pundits Thomas Hitzlsperger and Shay Given join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 1-1 West Ham

• Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace

West Ham and Newcastle United are among several clubs lining up a move for Chelsea's French centre-back Axel Disasi, 27. (Caught Offside), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Two wins, three draws and a defeat in their last six Premier League matches. Have West Ham turned a corner under Nuno Espirito Santo?

Hammers fans will rightfully be disappointed after conceding such a late goal, but the losing feeling is disappearing as they now sit just two points adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th.

Trips to Manchester United and Brighton are by no means easy, but West Ham can be pleased with two points.

The Hammers can have reason for optimism as the festive period continues to gather pace. They welcome in-form Aston Villa to London next up, but this recent run of form should give confidence.

And with Bowen in their team, they are capable of scoring a goal out of nothing - much like at the Amex Stadium.

It was a wonderful finish from the Hammers captain, who continues to attempt to drag his side towards safety.

West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to Sky Sports following the draw at Amex Stadium: "It is cruel not to get the win. Brighton's goal was a handball, wasn't it? Plus a high foot. There's no need to speak with the referee. I think it was the main factor.

"The chances we had, it was a good game. The first-half was good from us, we created problems and contained them. They didn't have much to do.

"We scored and tried to close out the game, but we couldn't. We had good situations, but you have to improve on that. The players are disappointed."

West Ham goalscorer Jarrod Bowen has also been speaking to Sky Sports about the performance: "I'm gutted, it feels like loss. We did so much to get into the lead but we sat too far back and invited the pressure. We wanted to protect the lead and we got a point, but it feels like a loss.

"We limited them most of the game and they didn't have lots to do in goal. The way the manager wants to play, we have all bought into that. We got ourselves into a good position and nearly had more goals, but then they managed to equalise. They have scored lots of late goals against us in the past."

On scoring his goal: "When you haven't scored in a while, the hardest chances are when they go in. That is always the way. I knew I had to slide and go for the far corner, it was almost like a slide tackle to finish. It was a relief to score.

"We have to take our chances. The goalkeeper made a double save and you have to give credit to them as well. Every goal is vital. When you create these chances, you grow in confidence."

Did you know?

• Only Newcastle and Leeds (6) have conceded more 90th-minute goals in the Premier League this season than West Ham (5).

• Jarrod Bowen has been directly involved in 99 goals for West Ham in the Premier League (60 goals, 39 assists), with only Michail Antonio netting more goals (68) and registering more assists (101) for the Hammers in the competition.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton’s performance

What did you make of West Ham's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Brighton have reinstated Danny Welbeck to their starting XI to face West Ham, while Georginio Rutter is also in from the off this afternoon.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Kadioglu, Dunk, Van Hecke, De Cuyper, Baleba, Wieffer, Minteh, Rutter, Gomez, Welbeck

Substitutes: Steele, Gruda, Hinshelwood, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Veltman, Coppola, Knight, Oriola

Nuno Espirito Santo has brought Lucas Paqueta straight back in after his ban, with Jarrod Bowen appearing to be the man tasked with leading the line for the Hammers on the south coast.

West Ham XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Mavropanos, Diouf, Rodriguez, Fernandes, Paqueta, Summerville, Bowen

Substitutes: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Wilson, Fullkrug, Magassa, Soucek, Potts, Irving, Mayers

There are two games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v West Ham (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Crystal Palace (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Follow action and reaction here from Amex Stadium

Check out our coverage from Craven Cottage

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Crystal Palace".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

West Ham got a big point at Old Trafford on Thursday. They are in a bit of trouble at the bottom of the table and you can see they are scrapping for everything.

They have to, really. Everyone has written Wolves off, for obvious reasons, and it looks like Burnley are slipping out of touch too, but with Leeds winning in midweek it just puts a bit more pressure on the Hammers.

At least it looks like they are moving in the right direction under Nuno Espirito Santo, even if they haven't won in three games.

This is a tough trip for them, though.

What a game that was between Brighton and Aston Villa on Wednesday. I always think the Seagulls will score goals, but I always expect them to leak a few too.

That was Brighton's first home defeat of the season, but they should bounce back on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Brighton & Hove Albion suffered a 4-3 home defeat to Aston Villa in midweek, but will look to bounce back against a West Ham side who have slipped back into the bottom three.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Sunday's meeting at the Amex Stadium (14:00 GMT).

Seagulls have great record against West Ham

Brighton come into this game licking their wounds after surrendering their 10-match unbeaten run at home to in-form Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The Seagulls normally finish games strongly, having scored a joint league-high 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season.

Instead, against the Villans, they came out of the blocks strongly and were 2-0 up after 29 minutes, only for Unai Emery's side to roar back and win a thrilling game 4-3.

It was the first time the Seagulls had lost a home league fixture despite scoring three goals since another 4-3 defeat to Rochdale in the fourth tier in December 1999.

If history is anything to go by, though, West Ham are the ideal opposition for Brighton to face to shake off that defeat. They have remarkably lost only one of their 16 Premier League matches against the Hammers (W7, D8) and the 31 goals they have scored versus the Londoners is more than they have against any other side.

And the bad news keeps coming for West Ham. In-form Brighton striker Danny Welbeck has scored a career best six Premier League goals against them.

Hammers improve under Nuno

West Ham may have dropped into the relegation zone after the midweek round of fixtures but their battling qualities under Nuno Espirito Santo were again on show as they fought back to earn a valuable point against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Since his first league game in charge of the Hammers, their tally of eight points won from losing positions can only be beaten by Aston Villa.

Things are definitely on the up since the Portuguese took over and their draw at Old Trafford means they have lost just one of their last five league matches (W2, D2).

However, they are two points adrift of safety and need to pick up wins fast, starting with reversing their awful record against Brighton.

Even Nuno has struggled against the Seagulls whilst in charge of other clubs having won just two of his nine Premier League games against them. Although, in his last meeting with the south coast club, he did enjoy the joint-biggest win of his managerial career as he led Nottingham Forest to a 7-0 victory in February.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Brighton at the Amex Stadium (14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nuno confirmed Lucas Paqueta is "going to play" from the start after serving his one-match suspension for his red card against Liverpool.

• Asked if he had any concerns over Paqueta's dissent, Nuno added: "I already spoke about that. It is in the past. I am positive it will not happen again because he personally admitted his mistake. We spoke about it in the dressing room. I am positive it is over and it will not be repeated."

• On Crysencio Summerville's fitness: "Hopefully [he] returns soon. We miss him. We know what he gives to the team. Let's see. We need all the players. I hope he can be back."

• On young defender Oliver Scarles: "He has a medical appointment on 8 December. We hope he is going to be cleared for full contact. He is training individually and does part of the session with the group but without contact. I hope he can join the team. We are going to need him because we lose our full-backs to Afcon."

• Nuno believes his midfield unit is "slowly progressing in knowledge and complicity", adding: "Energy. They are all very young. They are growing together. They are slowly understanding the specifics. This is what makes a good midfield. You can't be an individual. You can't put two players together and expect them to click immediately."

• On entering the weekend in the bottom three: "We cannot avoid it. It is a reality. We have to face it. We are fighting for survival. We cannot hide it. The results of other teams we cannot control. It is up to us."

• Nuno says he is "slowly trying to fix" his side's poor record of defending set-pieces and is now "trying to take advantage of offensive corners" like the one they scored from against Manchester United on Thursday.

• He added: We know how important set-pieces are in the game. They are basic and fundamental for any kind of team. Working, working, working. Repeating, repeating. Trying to find the consistency of delivery, trying to mark the strong opponents we will find. The blocks are important. Alphonse [Areola] got a big help with that also."

• Only Aston Villa have won more points from losing positions this season: "Everybody in the club is realising we have to give the best of everything. We have to give the best of us to get out of this situation. That is the reality. A club like us, as big as we are, we have to face the situation so we can go out. It is hard to build with urgency but the boys are committed and we think we can do it."

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

Listen to live commentary of Brighton v West Ham on Sunday from 14:00 on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and BBC Sounds

Adam Cottier
BBC Radio London commentator

Image source, Getty Images

Nuno Espirito Santo was right to say his West Ham side deserved a point for all the endeavour they showed against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

With the Hammers depleted further through the suspension of Lucas Paqueta, they produced a spirited performance - the kind of display they need to build on as they seek to avoid relegation.

January investment is needed. West Ham's options in reserve looked limited in terms of experience on a gloomy night in Manchester.

But any gloom over the outcome of the game lifted when Soungoutou Magassa reacted superbly to score West Ham's late equaliser. It came after a clever corner, executed superbly by a team who have been the ones on the receiving end of so many such situations this season.

Usual corner taker Jarrod Bowen left the right-wing kick to late substitute Andy Irving.

And Irving's first touch was to take the corner and cross for Bowen to create panic with a deft header. That was cleared off the line, only for Magassa to seize his opportunity and score his first goal since his summer switch from Monaco.

It capped a rather imperious performance from the young French midfielder. Box-to-box, he kept West Ham moving in a game that could have slipped away from them after the gut punch of Diogo Dalot's opener.

Magassa was only making his fourth Premier League start for West Ham, but his was the standout performance on a night of encouragement for a side in real peril this season.

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

Here are some of your comments:

Man Utd fans

Mark: One step forward, two steps back. Ruben Amorim is out of his depth. If we played a different system with Kobbie Mainoo, we would be making progress - but instead this mercurial talent is being wasted, which is a travesty.

Keith: United continue to throw away points after substitutions are made towards the end of the game. These substitutions upset the balance of the team and late goals are conceded as a result.

Chris: I am really finding this team and style of play awful to watch. I'm sure there are good players at the club but I think they are not adapting to the manager's style of play - and when we are in front and leading in games, the substitutions we make are baffling.

Carl: Too many players are underperforming. We lack energy and are too slow closing down the opposition. When chances do come, we lack composure and this is why we cannot put teams away. We are a very ordinary team who are too easy to play against. This said, three good results can land you in the top four - but three bad ones and you are in the bottom six. A very strange season.

Sam: Limited talent and lack of ambition, together with a very cautious head coach. Going nowhere fast.

West Ham fans

Roland: If we are to survive the drop, we should be beating sides like this. Good point away, but performances still way off it. Going to be a long slog.

Sam: A point at Old Trafford is a good result, particularly after our poor form and appalling display last time out against Liverpool. Without dominating, I felt West Ham controlled much of the game and were the better team. We are much better without the antics and distractions of Lucas Paqueta.

Sue: We are improving but we need more up front. Aaron Wan-Bissaka played very well and so did Alphonse Aereola. We just need to score more.

James: Very good point which I'm sure we would have taken at the start. To go away and achieve that against a team who have had a turnaround in form is good considering how inconsistent the Hammers have been. Hopefully this is the start of a more promising run and can be built on.

Barry: Overall, a good point. We still need more in the attacking third but defensively and in the midfield we look so much better.