Firstly, let’s start with a positive – ten points from the last five games, is a definite turn around from [West Ham](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-v-manchester-united-nuno-drops-surprise-starting-xi/). Yet Manchester United’s late equaliser at the London Stadium was heart wrenching and has sadly highlighted an increasingly damaging pattern in the clubs season, taking promising positions in matches, only to let them slip away in the closing stages. Under Nuno Espírito Santo, this tendency has become a hallmark of the Hammers struggle for survival.
West Ham top the table for matches where they have taken the lead only to drop the points. It’s an all too familiar story – the team work hard to earn an advantage, only to see it unravel in the dying minutes.
Fighting spirit comes to nothing as late concessions have become West Ham’s “nasty habit”.
In the 1–1 draw against Manchester United, Tomas Souček’s goal looked set to deliver a vital three points before a 96th‑minute equaliser denied them the win. After the game, Nuno described the moment as “a big punch in the stomach,” a telling reflection of how psychologically draining these collapses have become. The pattern isn’t isolated. West Ham’s inability to close out games has repeatedly turned potential victories into draws or defeats, losing a total of 20 points from winning positions, compounding pressure on the squad and manager.
Even when West Ham have legitimate grievances, such as controversial VAR decisions in the 2–1 loss to Nottingham Forest, the decisive moments still tend to come late, and tend to go against them. Morgan Gibbs‑White’s last‑minute penalty was another example of West Ham losing control at the worst possible time.
At both Chelsea and Bournemouth the Hammers were 2-0 up at half time yet left Stamford Bridge losing 3-2 and only gained a point at the Vitality Stadium.
The recurring theme is clear: West Ham can compete, they can score, and they can frustrate opponents, but they cannot reliably protect what they earn.
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Matches have frequently swung on late goals, often due to defensive lapses, sometimes due to individual errors, yet all too frequently, tactical conservatism that has invited pressure.
When teams are under pressure, decision‑making suffers, and West Ham have been vulnerable to exactly this.
Nuno’s challenge is to break the cycle of this ‘nasty habit’ and if he cannot, the consequences could be severe: The psychological toll of these collapses needs to reverse. On Nuno, the players and on us!