If West Ham United are to have even a shred of a hope of staying up in the Premier League this season, Nuno Espirito Santo feels that a 23-game run must be put to an end.
The Hammers have now lost 18 points from winning positions this season, a further three slipping through their grasp during a nightmare second half at Stamford Bridge.
Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville both scored to put West Ham United 2-0 up at the interval. Now, it felt inevitable that the visitors would concede at some point. They always do.
Late heartbreak 😡 Where did it all go wrong?!
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A graphic showing the full-time score between Chelsea and West Ham (3-2) in the Premier League on 31/01/2026.
Credit: Getty Images/Adrian DENNIS / AFP
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But, as it transpired, even a two-goal lead did not provide enough of a buffer as Chelsea came roaring back through Joao Pedro, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez’s 92nd minute finish.
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Nuno Espirito Santo is still awaiting his first clean sheet as West Ham United manager
West Ham have now gone 23 games without a clean sheet in all competitions. Ironically, their most recent came against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest at the end of August. Five months ago.
If Nuno’s backline is breached for a 24th successive match away to Burnley next time out, that will see the Hammers equal an all-time club record.
West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo is sent off for violent conduct after clashing with Joao Pedro
Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP via Getty Images
“I will not speak about my players [publicly]. What I have to tell them, I will tell them personally,” the head coach said during a tense post-match interview.
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“Now, it’s about how we are going to deal with this, how we are going to react this week. It is crucial that we bounce back. The next bit is to try and defend properly and have a clean sheet.
“When you score two goals away from home, the game should be yours.”
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It felt like it was coming….
Going defensive too early cost us! 😡
A graphic showing a TalkingPoints user on Nuno's big mistake for West Ham vs Chelsea.
Credit: Getty Images/Richard Pelham
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Jean-Clair Todibo suspended for Burnley trip with Max Kilman likely to start
West Ham have only ever conceded in 24 straight games once in their entire history. That horror run occurred between March and November 2008.
Nuno will not have Jean-Clair Todibo to rely on at Turf Moor either. Arguably his most dependable centre-back was sent off following a brawl at the death in West London.
Max Kilman’s cameo will do the ex-Wolves captain no favours, either. West Ham were 2-1 up when he arrived on the scene on Saturday evening.
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