West Ham United v Fulham
Premier League, London Stadium, Tuesday 14 January 2025, 7.30pm GMT
Head Coach Graham Potter leads West Ham United at London Stadium for the first time since his appointment was confirmed when the Hammers host Fulham on Tuesday evening.
The fixture will also mark Potter’s first Premier League game in charge, following Friday’s Emirates FA Cup third-round defeat at Aston Villa, and the 49-year-old will hope to register a first win in Claret and Blue against the Cottagers. Potter, of course, is no stranger to coaching in London derbies, having previously been in charge at Fulham’s west London rivals Chelsea.
The Irons welcome Marco Silva’s side to E20 planning to bounce back following Premier League defeats by Liverpool and Manchester City, which ended a four-match unbeaten run and ultimately Julen Lopetegui’s own spell at Head Coach.
Fulham themselves have been in fine form. Tuesday’s visitors are on a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions, including a win over Chelsea and draws with Arsenal and Liverpool, and arrive having dismissed Watford 4-1 in the FA Cup third round last Thursday evening.
Tickets…
Watch our new Head Coach Graham Potter's first home game against Fulham on Tuesday night. Tickets are available from the Ticket Exchange HERE.
Supporters are urged to arrive early at London Stadium as security and ticket checks will be in place at all entry points.
Travel…
There are no planned disruptions on the London Underground or London Overground.
On Greater Anglia, the 23.30 London Liverpool Street to Norwich service will be replaced by a bus service between Ipswich and Norwich, calling at Stowmarket and Diss.
On c2c, from 23.30, services will start/terminate at Liverpool Street, Barking or Upminster. Shuttle services will run between Upminster and Pitsea via Laindon, and between Upminster and Grays. Passengers with a valid ticket can use District line services between Tower Hill and Upminster and Jubilee line services between West Ham and Stratford.
Stratford and Stratford City Bus Stations are located in close proximity to Stratford station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
How To Follow…
Tuesday’s 7.30pm kick-off has been selected for live broadcast in the UK by TNT Sports. If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the capital on BBC London, in the UK on BBC Radio 5 live, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Official Programme…
West Ham United’s 2024/25 Official Programme for Tuesday’s game is available to purchase online now!
At 116 pages, the publication remains the largest in English football, while this year each Premier League issue also comes with a bespoke cover illustration and an eight-page pullout, complete with an eye-catching poster, a brainteasing quiz and plenty of games for our younger Hammers.
Still priced at just £4, the Official Programme represents superb value for money for supporters of all ages wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
You can order online HERE or pick up a copy in and around London Stadium on matchday!
Team News…
Niclas Füllkrug will miss Tuesday’s game after suffering a hamstring injury at Villa Park on Friday evening. Crysencio Summerville was also withdrawn with his own hamstring problem at half-time in the same FA Cup tie.
Jarrod Bowen is recovering from a fractured foot suffered while playing against Liverpool on 29 December, while Alphonse Areola, Jean-Clair Todibo and Emerson all missed Friday’s game at Aston Villa.
Forward Michail Antonio remains on the sidelines following his car accident towards the start of December.
Fulham will be without winger Reiss Nelson, who has a hamstring injury, and right-back Kenny Tete, who has a knee issue. Norway midfielder Sander Berge could return after missing three Premier League games and an FA Cup third-round tie with an ankle problem.
Opposition…
Thirty years ago this week, in January 1994, Fulham lost 1-0 at home to Hull City in front of just 4,407 spectators at Craven Cottage.
Five months later, a 2-1 final-day defeat at Swansea City would relegate the west Londoners to the fourth tier of English football.
The Cottagers’ struggles would bottom out two seasons later, in 1995/96, when they finished in a record-low 17th place in the old Division Three, below the likes of Darlington, Hereford United and Chester City.
However, while those three clubs have since gone out of business and been reformed, Fulham have transformed their own fortunes, climbing to the Premier League in the space of five seasons, reaching the UEFA Europa League final in 2010 and more recently recovering from the shock of three separate relegations to re-establish themselves in the top-flight.
Fulham’s initial rise back to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s came under the ownership of the late, now-disgraced Harrods and Ritz-owning Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Since 2013, however, the club has been owned by the respected Pakistani-American automotive manufacturing billionaire Shahid Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL American football franchise, and professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Khan’s time at Fulham has seen the club relegated to the EFL Championship on three occasions, but on each they have bounced back by winning dramatic Play-Off finals at Wembley Stadium in 2018 and 2020 before storming to the title in 2022.
The man who coached the Cottagers to that most-recent promotion was Marco Silva, who remains in charge three-and-a-half years since being appointed by Khan to replace former West Ham United and Fulham midfielder Scott Parker following relegation.
Working under Khan’s son Tony, who holds a variety of senior roles including Sporting Director, Silva has put together a squad full of vibrant attacking talent, resilience and belief.
In the 38 Premier League matches Fulham played in 2024, they lost just eleven and collected 52 points – the same number West Ham amassed in finishing ninth last season.
In their opening 19 games of the current top-flight campaign, Silva’s side lost just four times and have beaten the likes of Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, and drawn with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Off the pitch, the club has also been hugely improved since those dark days of 1994, with Craven Cottage developed into a iconic 29,500-capacity stadium on the banks of the River Thames, combining modern amenities with historic character.
Average attendances have risen from the pitiful 4,655 of 1993/94 to 26,237 so far this season, with that number set to rise when the towering Riverside Stand is fully opened.
All in all, it is a very good time to be a Fulham supporter.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham United dominate the overall head-to-head record, with 51 wins to Fulham’s 34, in addition to 25 draws, including the 1-1 secured by Danny Ings’ last-gasp equaliser at Craven Cottage back in mid-September.
After going six games unbeaten against their London rivals – a stretch that included five wins, starting back in December 2018 – the Hammers were defeated in both meetings last term, by an aggregate scoreline of 0-7.
Our biggest margin of victory over the Cottagers in the Premier League was a 3-0 win on 1 September 2012, when Kevin Nolan, Winston Reid and Matt Taylor got the goals at the Boleyn Ground.
The Irons famously defeated Bobby Moore’s Fulham 2-0 in the 1975 FA Cup final courtesy of an Alan Taylor brace.
Match Officials...
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: Darren Cann and Blake Antrobus
Fourth Official: Tom Nield
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Natalie Aspinall
Craig Pawson has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s return to Premier League action, at home to Fulham on Tuesday evening.
One of the country’s most experienced officials, the 45-year-old has been a part of the Select Group of Referees since 2013 and has held the whistle 12 times in the Premier League so far this campaign, as well as in the UEFA Europa League, Champions League and Europa Conference League qualifying, the UEFA Nations League and EFL Championship.
He has previously taken charge of the 2017/18 EFL Cup and 2021/22 FA Cup finals, as well as two Community Shield clashes, in 2016 and 2022.
Pawson has refereed 24 fixtures involving the Hammers during his esteemed career, most recently the 2-0 away triumph at Newcastle in November 2024. He has served as the fourth official in three West Ham games this term, including at Nottingham Forest at the start of November.
Pawson will be assisted by Darren Cann and Blake Antrobus at London Stadium, with Tom Nield the fourth official, and VAR duties being handled by Stuart Attwell and Natalie Aspinall.
