LONDON, ENGLAND — With West Ham United languishing in 18th place and desperately seeking points to escape the relegation zone, while 14th-placed Fulham aimed to build breathing room above the drop, the stakes were clear at London Stadium. In a tense encounter that seemed destined for stalemate, Raúl Jiménez's late header secured a 0-1 victory for the visitors, leaving the Hammers deeper in crisis with just 13 points from 16 matches.
The decisive moment arrived with just five minutes remaining when Harry Wilson delivered a pinpoint cross that found Jiménez unmarked at the far post. The Mexican striker made no mistake, powering his header from very close range into the bottom right corner past Łukasz Fabiański. The goal broke West Ham hearts and rewarded Fulham's patient approach, as Wilson's creativity finally unlocked a stubborn home defense that had frustrated the visitors for 85 minutes.
Fulham enjoyed the majority of possession at 55.9% and consistently looked the more threatening side throughout the contest. Emile Smith Rowe orchestrated attacks from midfield, while Antonee Robinson provided dangerous width down the left flank. West Ham's best opportunities fell to Jarrod Bowen, who saw a close-range effort from the six-yard box sail narrowly wide in the 65th minute, and Lucas Paquetá, whose right-footed strike from distance forced Bernd Leno into a comfortable save just before the hour mark. Callum Wilson, introduced as a second-half substitute, missed two presentable chances on the counter-attack that might have changed the complexion of the match.
The tactical battle saw Fulham's midfield trio of Sasa Lukic, Andreas Pereira, and Smith Rowe control proceedings against West Ham's makeshift setup featuring youngsters Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa. Despite 11 attempts, West Ham managed just 2 shots on target in a performance that highlighted their attacking struggles. Fulham registered 15 shots with 4 on target, forcing Fabiański into three saves. The physical nature of the contest saw both sides commit 8 fouls apiece, with Joachim Andersen and Harry Wilson collecting yellow cards for Fulham, while Jean-Clair Todibo was booked for the hosts. Josh King's 90th-minute caution added to Fulham's three-card tally.
The turning point came with West Ham manager's decision to introduce Wilson and George Earthy in the 83rd minute, pushing for a breakthrough. However, the substitutions left gaps at the back that Fulham exploited just two minutes later. Kenny Tete's blocked efforts in the 76th and 77th minutes had signaled Fulham's growing dominance, and when Wilson's cross found Jiménez, the visitors' persistence paid dividends. The nervy final 10 minutes saw West Ham desperately chase an equalizer, but Tomáš Soucek was caught offside in the 90th minute as their hopes evaporated.
Looking ahead, Fulham will host Crystal Palace on January 1st, seeking to build momentum from this hard-fought victory that lifted them to 20 points and relative safety in mid-table.