Overview
Humorous images about Tottenham once again spread strongly in the 22nd round of the Premier League. West Ham - a team that has gone through a 10-match winning streak - unexpectedly pushed coach Thomas Frank's team into an increasingly serious crisis.
Just a few days after the seemingly imminent departure from West Ham, Callum Wilson became the hero of the away team. The English striker scored the decisive goal in the final minutes, making the away team's stands burst into tears in a 2-1 thrilling victory in the London derby.
Previously, Crysencio Summerville opened the score with a shot that hit someone and changed direction, while Cristian Romero equalized for Tottenham.
West Ham's first victory in the Premier League since November 8, 2025, is still not enough to help them escape the danger zone. The team is currently ranked 18th in the league table but has narrowed the gap with the safe group to 5 points, after Nottingham Forest was held to a goalless draw by Arsenal.
Being further confident thanks to a narrow victory over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup, coach Nuno Espirito Santo's team is facing the opportunity to win 3 consecutive victories in all competitions for the first time this season. However, statistics show that this task is not easy at all.
Romero's header last weekend meant that West Ham had not kept a clean sheet in 19 consecutive Premier League matches, including 17 matches under Santo's reign. Only 3 coaches in the league history had to wait longer to get their first clean sheet with a club.
Sunderland of coach Regis Le Bris is also aiming to win 3 consecutive victories in all competitions for the first time in the 2025-2026 season. The "Black Cats" finally had their first Premier League victory in 2026 when they defeated Crystal Palace, which is in decline, with a score of 2-1.
After Yeremy Pino's opening goal, Enzo Le Fee and Brian Brobbey respectively scored, bringing an important victory for Sunderland amidst the enthusiastic cheers at Stadium of Light. A week earlier, Le Bris' team also defeated Everton on penalties in the FA Cup.
Thanks to their first victory in the highest league in England in 2026, Sunderland continues to maintain a solid position in the top half of the rankings. They still have a chance to compete for a Champions League spot, when they are only 3 points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
However, away form is still a major weakness of the Northeast team. Sunderland has not won in the last six away matches in the Premier League and has been goalless in 7 out of 11 away matches this season.
Personnel situation
West Ham won against Tottenham without any more injuries. The home team will also welcome the return of El Hadji Malick Diouf, a player who just won the African Cup with the Senegalese national team after an effortful performance.
Creative midfielder Lucas Paquete may recover from his back injury in time to participate in this weekend's round, although his desire to leave London Stadium has been mentioned for a long time. Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has not yet been able to return due to a similar problem.
On the opposite side, Romaine Mundle could not play the full 90 minutes in the victory against Crystal Palace, but the condition of this winger was determined to be just physical overload, not a serious injury.
Bertrand Traore (knee injury) and Arthur Masuaku (leg injury) are definitely absent from the Sunderland squad. In return, Chemsdine Talbi and Habib Diarra will return after completing their duties at AFCON.
Expected lineup:
West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Scarles, Bowen, Fernandes, Soucek, Summerville, Pablo, Castellanos.
Roefs, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo, Sadiki, Xhaka, Hume, Le Fee, Adingra, Brobbey.
The match between West Ham and Sunderland takes place at 7:30 PM on January 24 (Vietnam time).
