Niclas Fullkrug lucky to escape action for incident in West Ham draw vs Everton
West Ham fans saw plenty of signs of improvement under Nuno Espirito Santo in their 1-1 draw with Everton.
Mateus Fernandes impressed for West Ham, with the midfield looking a lot more solid than it did under Graham Potter.
Soungoutou Magassa replaced James Ward-Prowse, with Nuno leaving him out of the squad altogether after a poor start to the season.
A point for Nuno’s first game in the dugout will go down well with supporters, but there were still plenty of issues on show which he will want to iron out.
Keith Hackett criticises Niclas Fullkrug dive vs Everton
Niclas Fullkrug was preferred to Callum Wilson for the visit to Everton by Nuno.
The Hammers have struggled for firepower up front this season, and Fullkrug has been under constant pressure at West Ham since he signed in the summer of 2025.
In the second half against the Toffees on Monday, with the score 1-1, the German made a run in behind their defence before he was seemingly dragged down by James Tarkowski.
Referee Sam Barrott dismissed Fullkrug’s appeals, much to the dismay of the 32-year-old and his manager.
Former FIFA referee Keith Hackett agreed with the decision not to award the free-kick and slammed the striker for going down so easily, feeling he should have faced punishment for doing so.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Hackett said: “Oh dear, that’s a rather poor dive by Fullkrug, whose efforts were aimed at deceiving the referee.
“He failed and really should have received a yellow card for an act of simulation.”
Niclas Fullkrug could be dropped vs Arsenal
West Ham again lacked any focal point up front against Everton.
While they looked more lively in midfield, their creative spark for the most part came down the wings with Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.
After their struggles in front of goal, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Nuno elect to start Callum Wilson next time out against Arsenal.
The Portuguese manager has seen first-hand what the 33-year-old can do in front of goal, when his impressive header helped West Ham to a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Despite their issues, there is the general feeling that Nuno will sort out their goalscoring woes, and the Hammers will benefit from a full week of training under him.
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