Normal service is slowly starting to resume in East London, but West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo is refusing to get carried away. Following a turbulent, emotionally draining start to their Championship campaign that recently saw furious supporters screaming chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ after a frustrating draw at Watford, the atmosphere around the London Stadium has finally begun to thaw.
The Hammers secured back-to-back victories for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon, putting Derby County to the sword with a comfortable 3-0 win. Fresh off an electric 4-2 midweek thriller against Wolves—inspired by a double from Divine Mukasa alongside strikes from Jarrod Bowen and Konstantinos Mavropanos—Nuno’s men backed up their attacking resilience with a much-needed defensive clean sheet against the Rams.
Yet, despite putting three goals past Derby thanks to deadline-day signing Joël Piroe, summer arrival Edvin Austbø, and late substitute Mohamadou Kante, the Portuguese manager made it abundantly clear in his post-match press conference that his side is still a long way from the finished article.
Piroe Strikes Early as West Ham Overcome First-Half Frustrations
The afternoon got off to the ideal start when deadline-day acquisition Joël Piroe—fresh off his switch from Leeds United—tapped into an empty net following a sensational move down the right flank. Jarrod Bowen combined neatly with Taty Castellanos, whose looping cross was nodded back across the face of goal by the Argentine, leaving Piroe with the simplest of finishes.
However, for large portions of the match, the familiar anxiety that has plagued the London Stadium faithful this season threatened to resurface. Countless presentable first-half chances were spurned by Castellanos, Bowen, and Piroe, leaving the home crowd nervously biting their fingernails as a slender 1-0 lead hung in the balance.
Fortunately, West Ham’s squad depth eventually broke Derby’s resistance. Summer addition Edvin Austbø climbed off the bench to fire past Rams goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, before fellow substitute Mohamadou Kante slotted home a late third to seal the points and put the game to bed.
Reflecting on the result and the positive momentum generated over a turbulent week, Nuno admitted that the back-to-back wins were vital for the group’s confidence.
“It was very good today and a positive week for us. They are two good results and much-needed results,” Nuno said.
“It was another good performance today, but of course we have much we need to improve in terms of our defense and the way we deal with their threat, but we didn’t give them too many chances, which is really positive.”
Nuno Demands Perfection: “We Need Much, Much More”
Despite scoring seven goals across their last two outings, Nuno’s bullish response to questions about whether his attack had finally clicked caught many by surprise. Eschewed of any false comfort, the West Ham boss bluntly declared that his squad’s current output is nowhere near enough to sustain a dominant automatic promotion push.
When asked if the frontline was finding its rhythm, Nuno responded sharply: “We need more. We need much, much more.”
Expanding on the technical improvements required as his squad continues to gel following a chaotic summer transfer window, the manager emphasized the need for sharper decision-making in the final third.
“We need to improve on our combinations. We still need to show better, and we need to find our passes. Some passes are going a little bit away from us, so this will take time, and they will know each other better, and it will gel,” he explained.
“The attitude and the commitment from the beginning of the game—this is what we need and what we want. I always believe that if we are able to keep a clean sheet and be compact as a unit, we will always find space for our talented players.”
With spirits lifted and legs recovering faster thanks to the healing power of consecutive victories, Nuno and his squad have little time to bask in the Derbyshire spoils. The fixtures come thick and fast in the Championship, with a tricky trip to Greater Manchester to face Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night, swiftly followed by a high-stakes home clash against Wrexham at the London Stadium next Friday. If the Hammers are to turn early-season friction into a triumphant march back to the Premier League, Nuno’s demand for “much more” will need to translate onto the pitch immediately.
