West Ham United boosted their fight against relegation with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, thanks to a decisive strike from Crysencio Summerville.
The in-form winger punished a costly error from Bernd Leno to continue his impressive run in front of goal, netting for the seventh time in his last 10 matches.
The crucial win lifted the Hammers level on points with Nottingham Forest in 17th place, though they remain inside the relegation zone on goal difference.
The result also tightened the battle at the bottom, with Tottenham Hotspur now only a point ahead of both sides.
West Ham showed their attacking intent from the opening seconds. Just half a minute into the contest, Jarrod Bowen surged forward before setting up Taty Castellanos, whose first-time effort was brilliantly saved by Leno.
Bowen remained lively, later firing a deflected effort wide after another pass from Castellanos, before miscuing a further chance off target.
Fulham, aiming for a third consecutive victory but missing injured winger Harry Wilson, looked to youngster Josh King for inspiration.
The teenager twice threatened but was denied by timely interventions from Axel Disasi and Tomáš Souček.
Alex Iwobi tested goalkeeper Mads Hermansen with two long-range strikes, while Hermansen also reacted sharply before halftime to block a quick attempt from King.
West Ham nearly broke the deadlock moments after the restart when Soucek’s powerful header was tipped over the bar by Leno.
Fulham were then briefly awarded a penalty after Tom Cairney went down in the box, but referee Matthew Donohue overturned the decision following a VAR review that showed Cairney had kicked Castellanos in the incident.
The visitors continued to press, with Leno also reacting quickly to prevent an unfortunate own goal from Samuel Chukwueze.
Fulham came close to scoring when Iwobi’s cross found substitute Emile Smith Rowe at the far post, but he failed to convert.
The decisive moment arrived when Leno rushed out of his area in an attempt to intercept a through ball but lost possession to Bowen.
The West Ham captain quickly squared it for Summerville, who calmly slotted into the empty net.
Fulham pushed forward in search of an equaliser, with Rodrigo Muniz and Iwobi both going close, while Hermansen produced a late stop to deny Smith Rowe.
However, West Ham held firm to secure a potentially vital victory in their battle to stay in the Premier League.
