‘Strange’ – Chris Sutton baffled by what he saw in West Ham win vs Sunderland
Chris Sutton could not quite believe what he saw from West Ham during their comfortable win over Sunderland at the London Stadium.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been under immense pressure since arriving in East London, with just four wins under his belt before facing the Black Cats on Saturday, 24 January.
His side had been winless in 10 games before knocking QPR out of the FA Cup third round, and after West Ham shocked Tottenham across London, they are now on a three-game winning streak.
Although the performances have not been perfect, failing to keep a clean sheet in any of the three games, it has been hugely positive for a team battling relegation, now just two points away from safety.
Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen, and Mateus Fernandes were all on target in the enjoyable victory, but Sutton was still baffled by what he had seen from the team compared to recent weeks.
West Ham prove they can survive Premier League relegation
Despite sitting 18th in the Premier League table, Nuno’s players were 3-0 up at the half-time break, and not even Brian Brobbey‘s consolation goal could ruin the mood in East London.
However, speaking live on BBC Radio 5 Live, transcribed by BBC Sport (2:31pm), Sutton said: “West Ham, what a strange team they go to Tottenham then back it up today.
“These back-to-back wins will have others looking over their shoulders, and they’ll have to liven up.“
Nuno will not be counting his chickens just yet, with plenty of games remaining, and Premier League safety being nowhere near guaranteed, despite the stunning win.
Jarrod Bowen writes himself into the Hammers’ history books
Unsurprisingly, Bowen played a huge role in the game, though Summerville and Fernandes were even more impressive during the 90 minutes, causing so many problems for the visitors.
However, having set up the opening goal before slamming home the second from the penalty spot, the England international became the West Ham player with the most Premier League goal involvements.
With 62 goals and 40 assists, he moves beyond Michail Antonio, who is a cult hero at the London Stadium, becoming one of, if not the most, important player for the Hammers in the Premier League era.
He could be the difference between his team fighting for another day in the top division or slipping back into the Championship for the first time since the 2011/12 season.
In fact, David Sullivan and Karren Brady can still play a big role by backing the manager before the winter transfer window closes, but it remains to be seen if other deals will be done before 2 February.