West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has rather refreshingly defended fans who booed Max Kilman in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leeds.
The Hammers were denied a trip to Wembley when Leeds beat them on penalties on Easter Sunday but Max Kilman was one of the big talking points after the game.
The £40m flop has become something of a scapegoat for some West Ham fans and was making a rare start in the absence of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo.
When Kilman gave away a penalty with a poorly timed and executed sliding tackle in the box, some Hammers fans jeered the former Wolves man.
Nuno says West Ham players cannot complain about brilliant fans
A number of West Ham players went to try and comfort Kilman, who had initially impressed when he first joined under Julen Lopetegui.
With their former club Wolves up next, it was inevitable Nuno Espirito Santo would be asked about West Ham fans booing Kilman when he faced the press.
How do you feel about fans booing Max Kilman? 😳
And so it proved with the rather loaded question expected to draw inevitable condemnation from the manager about the behaviour of the fans involved.
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Refreshingly, though, Nuno did the opposite, defending Hammers supporters while sending a wake-up call to his players.
Max Kilman during West Ham United v Leeds United - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Nuno defends fans who jeered Kilman
Nuno was asked whether he understood fans booing Kilman or whether he felt supporters jeering their own player was ‘something that should never happen’.
Wearing a serious look, the Portuguese made it clear West Ham fans have been more than patient and doing their bit, telling his players they are still massively indebted to them.
“Look, in terms of fans, they (the West Ham supporters) are giving much more to us than us to them!” Nuno said in his press conference.
“So we cannot complain (about some fans booing Kilman). We have to thank them for everything they are doing in supporting us.”
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Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jose Sa punches clear under pressure from West Ham United's Max Kilman during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux on January 3, 2026 in Wolverhampton, England.
Nuno also praised Kilman’s response to the situation, saying he liked that his teammates rallied around him too.
“He made a good game, especially for a player that was not involved for such a long period…” Nuno added.
“He did a lot of good things and he handled the situation well and at the same time the group helped, I saw teammates going around him and supporting him which shows a lot of togetherness among ourselves which is positive.”
Nuno Espirito Santo speaking during a West Ham press conference.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Nuno handled that question quite brilliantly.
The question needed to be asked so the journalist was simply doing his job.
Most managers would undoubtedly defend their player and criticise the behaviour of fans or state that it doesn’t help the team.
Graham Potter was a fine one for that when asked about fan reactions to him and players during spells of desperately poor form and results.
So to see Nuno actually flip the script and speak up for West Ham fans – who so often get blamed for any negativity around the club – shows real awareness.
It will undoubtedly go down very well with supporters who just want to know the manager and his players appreciate them and the loyal support they give the club.
Even if the Hammers faithful reserve the right to speak their minds when things don’t go so well.
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