EPL: West Ham ease past Sunderland 3-1 in relegation battle

West Ham United took a major step towards Premier League safety with a convincing 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the London Stadium, dominating the contest in a one-sided first half.

The visitors arrived depleted, with Granit Xhaka ruled out through injury, and struggled to cope with West Ham’s early intensity.

The hosts made their pressure count in the 14th minute when Crysencio Summerville headed home Jarrod Bowen’s cross to open the scoring.

First-half dominance decides contest

Bowen doubled West Ham’s advantage in the 28th minute, calmly converting from the penalty spot after Ollie Scarles was fouled by Trai Hume inside the area.

Sunderland were unable to stem the tide, and their situation worsened just before the interval when Mateus Fernandes struck a powerful effort from long range to make it 3-0.

By half-time, West Ham had effectively settled the contest, leaving Sunderland with a mountain to climb.

Sunderland response falls short

The Black Cats showed more fight after the break and reduced the deficit in the 66th minute, with Brian Brobbey heading in his fifth league goal of the season.

They came close to pulling another back when Luke O’Nien’s mis-hit cross-shot forced Alphonse Areola into a fingertip save onto the crossbar.

West Ham thought they had added a fourth goal late on when Tomas Soucek bundled the ball in, but the effort was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

The result cuts the gap between West Ham and 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to two points, easing relegation fears ahead of their trip to Brentford on Sunday.

Sunderland, meanwhile, remain under pressure as the battle for survival intensifies.