- West Ham face Leeds United on Sunday
- The Hammers are 18th in the Premier League
- Leeds United have secured safety
If West Ham United are to have any hope of preserving their Premier League status, the outcome is simple: beat Leeds United and hope that former boss David Moyes, now at Everton, can take all three points away from Tottenham Hotspur.
The Hammers sit in the Premier League relegation zone, two points behind 17th-place Tottenham Hotspur ahead of Sunday’s season finale. Despite losing against Chelsea on Tuesday night, Roberto De Zerbi’s side still have command of their top-flight prospects.
This weekend culminates the topsy-turvy nature of the survival fight. Despite the ever-changing mood between both teams, there remains a gradual acceptance that regardless of Sunday’s outcome, it will likely boil down to each team’s inconsistencies.
West Ham have lost their last three after going unbeaten in April, whilst Spurs host Everton and are still searching for their first home win of the year. The odds are firmly stacked against Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, with Opta’s supercomputer giving them a 14.5% chance of ending the season as a Premier League team.
Leeds pose an intriguing proposition because, since their Premier League survival was confirmed, Daniel Farke’s team have thrived in a sense of freedom. Unbeaten in their last eight, the Yorkshire visitors have shrugged off all sorts of promotion perceptions, and boast one of the in-form centre-forwards in the division: Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Here are the three matchups that could define West Ham’s must-win season finale.
Konstantinos Mavropanos vs Dominic Calvert-Lewin
It will come as no surprise that the aforementioned Leeds striker features. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was hard done by to be left out of the recently announced England squad, with his 14 league goals proving not enough for Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel. Regardless, he is a fearsome presence with his mane adding to his revived gladiator aura.
Calvert-Lewin has scored in each of his last three games; the former Evertonian has seven goals in 15 games against the Hammers, and if he’s to be denied in adding that tally, Hammer of the Year Konstantinos Mavropanos.
West Ham’s Greek colossus has been one of the rare lights in their dwindling season, and has already shown with his successful tussle against Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in March, that he relishes the physical battle with attackers.
Ethan Ampadu vs Mateus Fernandes
Again, it will come as no shock that West Ham’s success will likely be dictated by whether Matheus Fernandes can gain a foothold in the game. Against Arsenal, the 21-year-old midfield metronome was a standout presence in the middle of the park before the Gunners ramped up the tempo and saw out the victory. Last weekend, Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimarães gave Fernandes and company the run around as the Magpies won 3-1.
In this meeting, Fernandes’ ability to get on the ball and set the pace of the game will be tested by Leeds’ skipper, Ethan Ampadu. The Welsh international has carved out a commendable career in white since leaving Chelsea in 2023 and establishing himself as Farke’s right-hand man.
Ampadu, a nominal deep-lying destroyer, is usually tasked with shutting down the opposition’s lead midfielder. While Fernandes’ position isn’t quite like an attacking midfielder, his influence certainly can be.
Karl Darlow vs West Ham attackers
The onus will be on West Ham’s stagnating attack on Sunday. Jarrod Bowen hasn’t scored in his last nine club games; seven for Crysencio Summerville and strikers Callum Wilson, Valentín Castellanos and Pablo have seven goals between them since the turn of the year, with the latter yet to hit the back of the net in claret and blue.
Karl Darlow was in impressive form in Leeds’ last outing against Brighton, making seven saves, including an acrobatic effort to divert Pascal Groß’s swerving strike. They often say the goalkeepers have a longer shelf life than outfielders, and in his age-35 season, Darlow is producing his best stuff – something that West Ham will have to navigate if they are to get the desired result.
