(Credit: Imago)

Oliver Walton

Sat 16 August 2025 17:08, UK

West Ham slipped to a damaging 3-0 defeat away to Premier League new-boys Sunderland on the opening day of the 2025/26 campaign.

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Graham Potter’s side were penned in their own half for the first quarter of an hour, but did improve as the first-half went on with El-Hadji Malick Diouf going close to opening the scoring.

Sunderland grew back into proceedings in the second-half, however, and Eliezer Mayenda sent the Stadium of Light into a frenzy just after the hour mark as his looped header crept in past Mads Hermansen.

Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media

Dan Ballard soon replicated his play-off semi-final heroics to double the hosts’ lead 12 minutes later, and West Ham’s woes were compounded as Wilson Isidor added a late third for Sunderland in added-time.

Mads Hermansen – 4

Hermansen will feel like he should have done better for Sunderland’s opener as Mayenda’s header sneaked past him into the net, and he definitely should have saved Isidor’s late strike as it bounced over his hands and in.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 5

The right-wing-back got forward well and with purpose in the first-half, yet did not keep that up in the second and will know that he should have kept Simon Adingra a lot quieter than he did.

Nayef Aguerd – 3

Shocker.

Aguerd was slow on the turn, rash in the tackle and could not deal with Mayenda’s runs in behind.

He was beaten to the header by the Spaniard for the opener to round off a very poor game.

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Max Kilman – 4

(Credit Imago)

Kilman did not do much better than his centre-back partner and was booked for a poor tackle in the second period.

Played some nice long passes to try and unlock the Black Cats backline.

El Hadji Malick Diouf – 6

Diouf’s debut nearly got off to a great start as he went close early on, but his energetic performance proved fruitless as his teammates let him down throughout.

Guido Rodriguez – 5

Rodriguez was a surprise starter ahead of Tomas Soucek, and he was outfought all game by the likes of Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra, so may not keep his place in the side going forward.

James Ward-Prowse – 5

Ward-Prowse also could not compete with the Black Cats’ strength in the middle of the park, but he did make some decent forward runs and passes that then came to nothing.

(Credit Imago)

Lucas Paqueta – 5

Paqueta cut a frustrated figure on Wearside as he was marked out of the game and rarely even tried to get into it.

Would not be a surprise to see him leave the club soon if he keeps playing like this.

Niclas Fullkrug – 5

The German striker showed some neat touches early on as he linked up well with Bowen, but that was about as good as it got as Ballard often came out on top in their duels.

Jarrod Bowen – 7 – Player of the Match

The only real shining light for the Irons was Bowen, as has been so often in recent years.

He tried his hardest and had some decent chances but was denied each time by Robin Roefs.

(Credit Imago)

Substitutes

Callum Wilson (on for Ward-Prowse 71?) – 4

Wilson was booed as he entered the pitch by the Sunderland fans, and they also had the last laugh as he lost his marker, Ballard, for their second and did not even get a sight of goal late on.

Tomas Soucek (on for Rodriguez 71?) – 5

Looked pretty lethargic and arguably unfit when he came on, and his lack of pace was evident as the Black Cats left him in their wake to nab a third on the break in added time.

(Credit Imago)

Andy Irving (on for Todibo 82?) – 5

Irving was sent on to try and change the game, and he was also culpable at the back as he allowed Isidor to run free before he dispatched past Hermansen.

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