West Ham United set a new Carabao Cup first-round attendance record as 53,369 supporters watched Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Portsmouth at the London Stadium.
The crowd surpassed the previous first-round record, set by Leeds United in August 2023, by more than 18,000.
Almost 9,000 Portsmouth supporters also made the trip to east London as West Ham opened their competitive campaign with a comeback victory.
West Ham confirmed the record-breaking attendance while reflecting on the victory.
West Ham supporters turn out in huge numbers
The attendance provided an impressive backdrop for Nuno Espírito Santo’s first competitive game of the season.
Portsmouth took the lead through Adrian Segečić, but West Ham responded before half-time.
Taty Castellanos converted Mohamadou Kanté’s cross to equalise before Jarrod Bowen put the Hammers ahead two minutes later.
Castellanos scored his second shortly after the restart to complete the 3-1 victory and send West Ham into the second round.
ReadWestHam’s match report detailed how Bowen and Castellanos provided the decisive moments after a difficult opening half-hour.
There were also encouraging contributions from several younger players.
Lewis Orford made his first senior start, while fellow academy graduate Ollie Scarles featured on the left and Josh Ajala was introduced for his senior debut late in the game.
But the size of the crowd was another notable feature of West Ham’s first competitive afternoon following relegation.
The Hammers are preparing for a demanding Championship campaign as they attempt to return to the Premier League at the first opportunity.
More than 53,000 supporters turning out for a first-round League Cup tie suggests there will be no shortage of backing at the London Stadium.
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