West Ham United edged past Queens Park Rangers after extra time to reach the FA Cup fourth round, offering a rare moment of respite for Nuno Espírito Santo. The Hammers needed 120 minutes to overcome Championship opposition, a reminder of their ongoing Premier League struggles despite ending a 64-day wait for victory.
The decisive moment came when January signing Taty Castellanos headed home the winner from a fine cross by Crysencio Summerville, who also scored West Ham’s opener in one of his strongest displays for the club. QPR forced extra time through Richard Kone after Karamoko Dembélé created space, pushing West Ham close to another humiliation. Injuries disrupted both sides, including a worrying neck injury to Konstantinos Mavropanos. While Nuno welcomed signs of progress from new signings, he admitted reinforcements are still needed. The win briefly lifted the mood but did little to disguise the scale of the challenge facing West Ham in the months ahead.
