English Premier League

West Ham v Sunderland: Premier League – live

January 24, 2026

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4 minute read

West Ham v Sunderland: Premier League – live

Key events

11 mins: Romaine Mundle v Aaron Wan-Bisska is shaping up to be a fascinating one-versus-one tussle this afternoon, down the Sunderland left/West Ham right.

10 mins: Most of the early noise inside the London Stadium is being made by those of a Sunderland persuasion.

These early kick-offs can feel quite low-key sometimes, and West Ham are going to need more energy from their fans. They’ve pressed a little more in the past few minutes without creating a chance of note.

7 mins: Now the home fans want a free-kick as Summerville runs into trouble but the ref is seemingly keen to keep the play moving… although West Ham do eventually get a free-kick as Castellanos is impeded.

5 mins: Referee Thomas Bramall blows up for a slight foul by Castellanos in the centre-circle just as West Ham were looking to break.

It prompts the first London Stadium groan of the afternoon. I’d suggest it might not be the last.

3 mins: West Ham are under the cosh already, with Sunderland willing to press high and send crosses into the area without delay.

2 mins: No Granit Xhaka in Sunderland’s midfield could make this interesting. It does look like a straight 4-4-2, with Sadiki testing Areola early on with a sweet left-footed volley after a long throw was headed into no man’s land.

KICK OFF

Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppp!!

Broadcasters TNT Sports have Sunderland’s formation down as a 4-2-3-1 with Hume in midfield and Mayenda out wide on the right. Guess we’ll find out soon …

There’s a lot of West Ham fans still queuing outside the stadium, and will seemingly be late for kick-off. Traffic in the area, or just a disconnect between Hammers supporters and their team?

Anyway, the players are coming out of the tunnel, bubbles aplenty, and we’re almost ready to go.

Also kicking off at 12.30pm this Saturday lunchtime is a crunch clash in the WSL. Here’s your minute-by-minute coverage of that one with Emillia Hawkins.

Sunderland duo Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco) and Habib Diarra (Senegal) competed in the helter-skelter Afcon final so return to the bench today. Noah Sadiki of DR Congo keeps his spot in the midfield, with it looking like a 4-4-2 from Régis Le Bris with Brian Bobbey and Eliezer Mayenda playing as a strike partnership.

Outside a chilly London Stadium on a Saturday lunchtime. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images/Reuters

So Callum Wilson is on the West Ham bench after it was revealed he was likely to stay at the club this month, amid rumours of an exit.

There is no Lucas Paquetá, who looks bound for Brazilian club Flamengo.

It was reported earlier today that the Hammers have reached verbal agreement to sign Adama Traoré from Fulham, so there is a boost to their squad on the way.

Given this weekend’s fixtures are a mirror image of the opening day of the season, there is plenty of harking back to be done – and Sunderland’s 3-0 destruction of Graham Potter’s West Ham in August has proven fairly instructive of the campaign to come. The Hammers have remained just as listless despite a change of manager while Régis Le Bris’s team, incredibly, can go fifth by doing the double over West Ham today. That position may be only temporary given the number of European contenders playing later today and tomorrow, but the fact Sunderland are still flying high after 22 games shows they have been far from a flash in the pan.

Team news

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Scarles; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Pablo Felipe, Summerville; Castellanos.
Substitutes: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Ward-Prowse, Wilson, Diouf, Magassa, Potts, Kante.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo; Hume, Sadiki, Le Fée, Mundle; Mayenda, Brobbey.
Substitutes: Patterson, Cirkin, Geertruida, Talbi, Rigg, O’Nien, Isidor, Diarra, Adingra.

Referee: Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)

Preamble

West Ham are sitting in a spot in the table where everyone expected Sunderland to be, and Sunderland are where West Ham – in Deloitte Football Money League terms – ought to be. But this is football, and one of the great fascinations of this season has been to see the Black Cats confound opponents after their promotion while watching the Hammers’ expensively-assembled squad struggle.

There is a glimmer of hope for Nuno Espírito Santo and his troops. Last week it came in the form of Dr Tottenham, as a 2-1 away win at Spurs gave West Ham their first victory in more than two months. The back-to-back wins in early November both came at the London Stadium so Nuno must generate some momentum with a victory today. The gap to 18th-placed Nottingham Forest would close to just two points if so, with Sean Dyche’s side not playing until tomorrow.

Sunderland will have their full complement of Africa Cup of Nations players back – they were affected by the tournament more than any Premier League team – but they managed fairly well without them, losing just once since 6 December.

The action gets under way in east London at 12.30pm (GMT) so stick with us for team news and match updates.

Source From: Premier League | The Guardian

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