It was a sobering experience at the London Stadium on Sunday: In a 2-0 (1-0) defeat in front of 62,459 spectators, Fulham, who are 12th in the table, took the lead in the derby after just nine minutes through Andreas Pereira. The Brazilian's second goal in the 72nd minute put the lid on things for the visitors, who had former and long-serving Bayer 04 goalkeeper Bernd Leno between the posts. Leno, who made 304 competitive appearances for the Werkself between 2011 and 2018, thwarted several good chances for the visitors.
Hammers boss David Moyes made three changes to his side from the 2-0 defeat at Bayer 04: Edson Alvarez, Nayef Aguerd and Danny Ings came into the starting XI in place of Tomas Soucek, Kurt Zouma and Aaron Cresswell. "I felt we started the game relatively well, created chances but just couldn't capitalise on those moments," said Moyes. "That's why I'm really disappointed. We probably had more possession than in many other games this season, but we didn't manage to make the most of it. And we were susceptible to the opposition's counter-attacks today."
The best chances for the Hammers were missed by centre-forward Michail Antonio, Vladimir Coufal, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paquetá. The latter will miss his side's quarter-final second leg against the Werkself, having been yellow-carded in the 2-0 defeat at the BayArena after a bad tackle on Amine Adli and is therefore suspended for this Thursday’s game.
Just before the final whistle of the London derby, there was a scare for the Hammers when youngster George Earthy picked up an injury. The talented U21 player was making his Premier League debut for the side, but suffered a serious head injury just minutes after coming off the bench in the closing stages following a collision with teammate Edson Alvarez. Earthy lost consciousness and had to be treated on the pitch for several minutes. He was then taken to hospital but released on Monday. It remains to be seen when he’ll be able to return to the team.
The Matchday 33 defeat meant West Ham missed out on a return to the top six in the Premier League. However, as eighth in the table, they’re just two points behind seventh-placed Manchester United and sixth-placed Newcastle United. After the derby loss to Fulham, Moyes was quick to look ahead to the UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg. "We'll be focused as we prepare for the game on Thursday evening and hopefully we can give the right response and take the opportunity to get revenge against Bayer 04."
In the first leg in Leverkusen, the Hammers were able to keep the score level for a long period by plaing very defensively. It was only with late goals from Jonas Hofmann (83’) and Victor Boniface (90’+1) that the Werkself were able to break down the defence of the Londoners, who played with a five-man back line. And for their part, they only had one real chance to score in the entire match. "It's obviously a very disappointing result because we kept them at bay for so long," said goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. The Pole was his team's best player in the first leg and foiled several good chances from Leverkusen. "Conceding two goals so late on is hard to take. We were under a lot of pressure, but we defended well for a long time. If it had ended 1-0, we would have felt better. But it is what it is and we'll do everything we can to turn the tide." The 38-year-old Fabianski is now relying on his team's home strength. "We have a good record when we play at home in European competitions, so let's see what happens." Of course, the goalkeeper is thinking not least of the second leg of the round of 16 tie against SC Freiburg, which West Ham won 5-0 after going down to a 1-0 defeat in Breisgau.
Winger Jarrod Bowen will in all likelihood still not be available against the Werkself. The 28-year-old, who missed out on last week's game in Leverkusen due to a back injury, also didn’t make the squad for the Fulham game. It remains to be seen when he will be ready for action again.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
Show more
On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
Show more
The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
Show more
Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
Show more
