Raul Jimenez’s late header helped Fulham snatch a dramatic 1-0 victory over West Ham United.
The London derby looked set to be a stalemate until the Mexican striker nodded in the winner five minutes from time at the London Stadium.
Harry Wilson had previously gone closest to breaking the deadlock, forcing a good save from Alphonse Areola, but there was a general lack of attacking quality from both sides.
However, Jimenez was the hero as he headed home Wilson’s cross to lift Marco Silva’s side into the top half of the table.
The Cottagers climb to tenth place, while Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham remain 18th and five points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th, following a seventh defeat in nine games.
How the match unfolded
Fulham, fresh from back-to-back league wins, began brightly. Jimenez fired off target after a clever turn inside the box, while Areola tipped over Wilson's fierce long-range drive.
After Jarrod Bowen called Bernd Leno into action from a tight angle at the other end, Areola used his feet to keep out Joachim Andersen's swerving attempt from distance.
West Ham increased their attacking threat after the break, with Bowen steering Soungoutou Magassa's cutback agonisingly wide of the far post.
Second-half substitute Callum Wilson drilled marginally off target after leading a swift counter, while the striker also fired over following Bowen’s driving run.
However, after taking the sting out of West Ham’s threat, Fulham would snatch all three points in the 85th minute. Ollie Scarles failed to clear an initial cross from Wilson, whose second delivery was headed home by Jimenez to seal the visitors’ third straight league win.
Watch Jimenez's goal
Harry to Raúl. 👌 pic.twitter.com/0W17SFZyun
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 27, 2025
Another Hammer blow
Another defeat for West Ham saw them miss the opportunity to move within two points of 17th-place Forest, who were beaten by Man City earlier on Saturday.
Nuno, who has yet to see his side record a clean sheet, said in the build-up to this game that a shutout was top of his Christmas list.
Areola’s fine reflex save to deny Harry Wilson’s fizzing drive from distance looked like it may help the hosts achieve that.
At the other end, though, they saw a golden opportunity go begging with Bowen unable to hit the target from inside the six-yard box.
Callum Wilson also looked threatening upon his introduction, though he probably should have done better with the two chances that fell his way.
And the failure to take those opportunities would come back to bite West Ham, as Jimenez condemned them to a sixth straight Premier League defeat in a London derby.
Nuno’s side will look to end a generally difficult year on a positive note when they welcome Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday.
Jimenez ends 2025 on a high note
Consecutive league wins over Burnley, Forest and now West Ham have lifted Fulham away from the bottom three and into the top half of the table.
The omens were not initially positive for the visitors, who had only prevailed in one of their last 14 top-flight visits to West Ham.
Nevertheless, Silva’s side were quickly into the ascendancy early on. Wilson stung Areola’s palms, while Andersen’s speculative attempt caused all sorts of confusion for the West Ham goalkeeper.
The visitors were on the back foot as the hosts looked rejuvenated after the break, surviving that Bowen scare along the way.
Nevertheless, they brilliantly kept the ball to stem their opponents’ momentum, and struck as the clock ticked down through a man who loves playing against West Ham.
Jimenez has now scored seven Premier League goals against the Hammers, his highest tally against any opponent in the division, and it was enough to seal a third consecutive away league win.
Fulham certainly have momentum to build on heading into 2026, which begins with a trip to Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day, before back-to-back home games against Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Club reports
West Ham report | Fulham report
What the managers said
Nuno Espirito Santo: "It [the goal] comes after some chances we had in the second half, we have been punished by a mistake and we lose the game. In the second half, we had the momentum, created situations we should have scored from, and in the end we were punished. We have to react, the good part is we play another game in two days' time. It's another chance to give back to our fans."
Marco Silva: "It was a tight game, as you expect it to be. It's very difficult to win games in the Premier League, it doesn't matter what the positions in the table are. It was a very important game for West Ham but our ambition was also there, to fight for three points and get our third win in a row. It's our third win away from home in a row as well. There were chances for both teams and it seemed like a draw was coming. The thing that pleased me most was the ambition of the team in the last 15, 20 minutes to push a little bit more. We created two or three good chances and we won the game with a great assist from Harry [Wilson], a great header by Raul [Jimenez] and a clean sheet."
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Key facts
West Ham suffered their 11th Premier League home defeat of 2025 (W4 D3), now the joint-most home losses in their league history in a calendar year along with 1967.
Fulham have won three consecutive league games for the first time since January 2023 (4), while manager Silva now boasts more Premier League wins against West Ham than any other opponent, with today his seventh (D1 L4).
West Ham have won just 13 points from their 18 Premier League games this season, their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 2010/11 when they went on to finish bottom of the Premier League (also 13).
West Ham are the first team to lose six consecutive London derbies in a Premier League campaign since today’s opponents Fulham in 2018/19 (lost all 10).