Premier League: Can London Beat Finish With Flourish?

West Ham United vs Fulham

Here are two teams who, realistically, may not be 100-per cent focused on the Premier League for the remainder of the campaign. Yes, that is a pretty glib statement, but just consider the reality for a moment.

West Ham are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and would love nothing more than to add to their Europa Conference success last season.

Fulham, meanwhile, have just gone down to successive league defeats which leaves them in lower mid-table – too far adrift to harbour Euro hopes and too far ahead of the relegation strugglers, their season apparently petering out.

As they prepare to meet in a fixture which has delivered Premier League 2024 highlights, hopefully my suggestion is far from the truth for both the Hammers and the Cottagers.

Talking Points

Premier League: West Ham hope to redeem themselves following their Europa League loss to Bayer Leverkusen — Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick in action against West Ham United’s Konstantinos Mavropanos during the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie

West Ham go into the contest straight after their Euro tie against German champions-elect Bayer Leverkusen.

That late 2-0 defeat was a major blow to morale and I suspect they will still be without 19-goal top scorer Jarrod Bowen, such an attacking threat and a key man, for this one after he sustained an injury scare at Wolves last weekend.

Despite winning that encounter, helped by James Ward-Prowse scoring direct from a corner, the BBC described that contest as one of those games that irritates West Ham fans about manager David Moyes.

Indeed, his future beyond the end of the season remains open to question with the Scot yet to indicate whether he will sign the contract extension he says he has been offered.

On the same afternoon, Fulham were left to rue missed chances as they slipped to a late home defeat to Newcastle.

It was a disappointing day for all those associated with the west Londoners with results tailing off since an impressive 3-0 win over Spurs in mid-March.

A 3-3 draw with bottom side Sheffield United was followed by a 3-1 loss to relegation-battling Nottingham Forest which immediately preceded the Newcastle game.

Six points from those two games would have pushed Marco Silva’s side into the mix for a European place but they are seemingly now out of that picture.

At times this term, Silva’s side has have competed well with those higher up the league with a genuine prospect of challenging for a European spot.

Silva has done a super job at the club and, even after the loss of talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic last summer, the uncertainty over the future of midfielder Joao Palhinha and an, at-times, lengthy injury list.

There is a real potential for the club to become established in the top-flight, something Fulham had previously failed to do after promotions in 2018 and 2020.

Alongside the likes of Palhinha, there is hope the Mitrovic goals may finally have been replaced with Rodrigo Muniz netting eight goals in nine Premier League matches before last weekend.

With summer additions, Fulham may feel a more sustained push for Europe is realistic next term.

Confidence will certainly be improved by a good end to the campaign rather than a late-season dip.

History

Two clubs from the capital with a reputation for playing good football, I automatically think of the 1975 FA Cup Final as their most prestigious meeting.

It was a game in which the Hammers triumphed 2-0 thanks to a second half double from Alan Taylor against a Cottagers side who were playing in the second tier and included former West Ham and England great Bobby Moore in their ranks.

That is one of 51 West Ham victories over the years compared to 33 Fulham triumphs and 24 draws.

Their inaugural clash came in December 1898 in the former Southern League Division Two, is recorded as a 2-1 West Ham success with B. Gresham and J. Reynolds the marksmen.

Their very first top-flight game was at Craven Cottage in 1959 when the home side emerged 1-0 victors.

Fulham also won their first ever Premier League clash in 2001 as the French contingent of Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque scored the goals in a 2-0 win at Upton Park.

Although Fulham recorded a 3-0 FA Cup success there in 2004, that was the last time they beat West Ham on their own turf in the league which means they have yet to taste victory since the Hammers moved into the London Stadium in 2016.

The corresponding meeting last season saw David Moyes’ side run out 3-1 winners.

Andreas Pereira had given Fulham an early lead but that was cancelled out by a Jarrod Bowen penalty before Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio won the day for the hosts in the second half.

Fulham did enjoy a thumping 5-0 win over West Ham earlier this season.

The scorers that night were Raul Jimenez, Willian, Tosin Adarabioyo, Harry Wilson, and Carlos Vinicius.