West Ham beat Stevenage 5-0 as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side produced an impressive performance in their second public pre-season friendly. Taty Castellanos and James Ward-Prowse scored before three academy players completed the victory.
Ward-Prowse opened the scoring after 13 minutes following an excellent team move. The midfielder began the attack inside his own half before eventually converting the rebound from Pablo Felipe’s cross.
Castellanos doubled the lead 12 minutes later. Maximilian Kilman won possession before Jarrod Bowen released the striker, who calmly found the bottom corner.
The goal arrived hours after ReadWestHam reported that Castellanos is increasingly likely to remain at the club. Everton retain an interest, but West Ham now expect the Argentine to stay.
Nuno made ten changes at half-time, with only Airidas Golambeckis remaining on the pitch. Stevenage briefly improved and forced Alphonse Areola into several saves.
West Ham beat Stevenage as academy players impress
Lewis Orford restored West Ham’s control with a superb third goal. The midfielder met Ryan Battrum’s pass with a first-time finish which curled into the far corner.
Josh Ajala then received credit for the fourth after Kaelan Casey’s volley deflected into the net. Summer arrival Jett Murphy completed the scoring with a close-range finish in the final minute.
The academy players responded well after a difficult start to the second half. Ezra Mayers and Golambeckis made important blocks, while Orford, Ajala and Murphy all made decisive attacking contributions.
West Ham’s official preview confirmed that the fixture followed the 1-1 draw at Southend. Nuno will have been encouraged by the improvement in sharpness and the number of players who contributed.
Castellanos’ performance also strengthened his claim to lead the attack this season. His movement caused Stevenage problems, while his composed finish offered another reminder of his quality.
The result remains secondary during pre-season. However, five goals, a clean sheet and valuable minutes across the squad made it a productive evening before Sunday’s trip to Rangers.
