West Ham moved into second place in the Championship after securing a 1-0 victory over league leaders Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday, narrowing the gap to just one point. Divine Mukasa scored the only goal of the match in the first half, with the game witnessed by a record crowd of 20,973 spectators.

The win marked West Ham’s second triumph in four days, following a dominant 6-0 win at Lincoln City earlier in the week. The club’s recent fixture schedule included a goalless home draw against Queens Park Rangers last weekend, a match in which Jarrod Bowen missed a last-minute penalty. Despite this, manager Nuno Espirito Santo expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress, describing the week as “demanding” but ultimately successful.

“We wanted not only to keep the momentum, but to build on it,” Nuno said after the match. “It’s been a good week that didn’t start very well for us. It was a very demanding one in terms of the opponents we had to face, but it finished really well. The commitment, unity and the way they played was really good against a very good Swansea side that had its chances. It was a very intense match.”

West Ham’s victory moves them above Middlesbrough on goal difference, with both clubs level on points. Middlesbrough, who could have taken the top spot, were held to a 2-2 home draw by Cardiff City after recovering from a two-goal deficit.

Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux played a crucial role in keeping the scoreline closer than it might have been, pulling off several impressive saves in the second half, including stops against Bowen, Pablo, and others. Despite Swansea’s home unbeaten streak dating back to April, they were unable to find a breakthrough during the match, with the two sides engaging in a tightly contested battle for midfield control.

Nuno acknowledged the significance of every match in such a competitive league, stating, “All the games are massive for us. Each game is a final, so I’m happy with what we achieved in a tough place, a good performance and a good result.” The victory boosted West Ham’s confidence as they continue to challenge for promotion in a fiercely contested Championship season.