Pereira brace secures Fulham’s 2-0 win at West Ham

LONDON: A brace by Andreas Pereira ensured Fulham’s third win on the road in this Premier League season when they beat West Ham United 2-0 on Sunday.

Fulham moved up to 12th place with 42 points from 33 matches, equal with Bournemouth who have played a game fewer. West Ham remained eighth with 48 points, four ahead of Chelsea who have three games in hand and host Everton on Monday.

Konstantinos Mavropanos lost control of Alex Iwobi’s long ball in the ninth minute and it fell to Pereira inside the box. The former Manchester United midfielder sidestepped keeper Lukasz Fabianski and scored with ease.

“It’s important when you score early in the game. Something that has been key for us this season, when we have scored first we haven’t lost yet in the Premier League,” Fulham manager Marco Silva told the BBC.

Fabianski kept West Ham in the game when he blocked Willian’s low shot from a tight angle and parried it out in the 38th minute before making a split-second save to stop Rodrigo Muniz’s close-range header from the resulting corner.

The former Arsenal keeper came to the rescue again early in the second half when Willian’s through ball found Iwobi in the box. A diving Fabianski deflected the shot with his fingertips.

But his efforts came to nought as Iwobi set up the second goal in the 72nd minute when his cross from the edge of the box nutmegged Nayef Aguerd to find Pereira, who made no mistake with the finish, completing Fulham’s league double over West Ham.

“It was one of the best performances from me and from the team as well... we knew we couldn’t make mistakes and had to be solid,” Pereira told Sky Sports.

The match temporarily came to a halt in the 85th minute when West Ham’s George Earthy, an academy graduate who had just made his league debut as a substitute, went down after colliding with team mate Edson Alvarez.

The 19-year-old was taken away on a stretcher after being treated on the field. “It’s been a head injury, he is awake and on his way to hospital,” West Ham manager David Moyes said.

“His first three or four touches were terrific; really disappointed for the boy. He has been doing ever so well in training. We will all look after him.” West Ham host Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, after losing the first leg 2-0, while Fulham host Liverpool next Sunday.