Whilst this whole FA Cup encounter was scrappy, against dogged third tier opponents, West Ham came away with the win and can now move on the the fifth round – with the draw taking place tonight on TNT. They could then quickly feed Traore or Wilson in behind or recycle possession in the attacking third. The danger is without Pablo, (main pic) apparently now out for the season, Nuno will find himself back-tracking to his default. West Ham surely need to replicate their bold performances with fast flowing attacking football, rather than see Nuno undoing all the hard work by parking the bus. It has never worked for any of his predecessors, and it won’t work for him.

Source: New York Times February 16, 2026 22:39 UTC