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.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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