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Jack Dawson

Thu 5 March 2026 7:30, UK

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West Ham United picked up a vital victory on Wednesday as they overcame Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage.

Crysencio Summerville’s sole goal proved to be the difference maker as his second-half strike won Nuno Espirito Santo’s side the three points.

However, it could have been even better for West Ham after they had a massive penalty call turned down in the first period.

With West Ham fighting for Premier League survival, this decision could prove to be vital if it comes down to goal difference, with Keith Hackett insisting that a spot kick should have been awarded.

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— West Ham United (@WestHam) March 4, 2026

Keith Hackett: West Ham should have had penalty for Alex Iwobi handball

Early in the first half, West Ham were certain they should have had a penalty.

With the game still at 0-0, a whipped Hammers cross was blocked by Alex Iwobi inside the Fulham box.

The ball hit the attacker’s outstretched upper arm, which prevented it from finding a West Ham man.

When reviewing the footage, Hackett exclusively told Football Insider that Matt Donohue should have awarded a penalty for the incident.

Should this have been a penalty to West Ham? 👀

VAR didn’t think so…

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 4, 2026

He said: “The defender has made his body shape bigger, and his actions are clearly aimed at stopping the ball.

“It is a deliberate action, and a penalty kick should have been awarded.”

What are West Ham’s current chances of survival?

Former Premier League chief executive Keith Wyness has previously told Football Insider that Crysencio Summerville will be sold by West Ham if they are relegated to the Championship this season.

However, the attacker gave the Hammers a massive chance of avoiding this fate with a massive goal on Wednesday.

As a result, West Ham are now in the relegation zone solely on goal difference, and are just one point off Tottenham in 16^th place.

However, according to Opta on 4 March, the Hammers are still widely expected to be relegated.

The supercomputer believes that there is a 55.52 per cent chance that they will fall into the Championship, giving them little hope despite their recent win.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen it remains to be seen if Nuno’s men will be able to pull themselves out of the bottom three before the current campaign comes to an end.