West Ham won their second league game of the week as they saw off Derby 3-0 at the London Stadium.
The Irons started the game superbly, putting the Rams under pressure early on. That pressure paid off when Joël Piroe opened the scoring on six minutes.
Jarrod Bowen’s right-footed cross found Taty Castellanos, who headed the ball back across goal to Piroe. The Suriname international made no mistake from close range to put the Hammers in front.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side dominated the opening twenty minutes of action, but failed to add to their tally. Jarrod Bowen saw an effort go just wide, and Konstantinos Mavropanos’ header from a corner was well saved by Derby’s Jacob Widell Zetterström.
Castellanos came close to doubling the Irons’ lead on the stroke of half-time. The Argentine international linked up neatly with Divine Mukasa before unleashing a strike from the edge of the box, which flew just beyond the post.
The Hammers led at the break and looked relatively comfortable, but it was clear that another goal was needed to see out the game.
That point was hammered home early in the second half, as Derby became much more of a threat. Sammie Szmodics and Ryan Hedges were causing the hosts a few problems, as were the Irons themselves.
There was a complacency to Nuno’s side in the second forty-five. Simple passes were going astray, promising chances weren’t being converted, and there was a general lack of urgency about the team.
However, although the visitors stepped up their game after the break, they failed to really trouble Mads Hermansen in the West Ham goal. The Rams’ best chance fell to substitute Lars-Jørgen Salvesen on 82 minutes, when his low free-kick fizzed just wide of the Hammers’ net.
As the game entered its closing stages, there was a tension around the London Stadium. But that was relieved on 87 minutes, when Joël Veltman found Arne Engels with a long ball on the right-hand side.
Engels played the ball into the Derby box, where Jarrod Bowen’s deflected strike fell to substitute Edvin Austbø. The Norwegian scored from close range to open his account for West Ham, who now looked home and dry.
Things got even better for Nuno’s side, however. In injury time, Austbø played the ball into fellow sub Mohamadou Kanté, who unleashed a powerful strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
That goal wrapped up what turned out to be a comprehensive victory for the Hammers. Nuno’s side made hard work of the afternoon, but ultimately, their quality shone through.
The result lifts West Ham up to 8th in the table, with Wolves and Birmingham below them still yet to play this weekend. It has been a slow start to life in the Championship for the Irons, but things look like they are starting to click for Nuno Espírito Santo and his team.
