Taty Castellanos edges West Ham past QPR in FA Cup to offer respite for Nuno
John Brewin at the London Stadium
Date published Sun 11 Jan 2026 17.33 GMT

Forget the magic of the FA Cup, for West Ham the reality of what is soon likely to be a Championship fixture - an indicator that life in the second tier will be no cakewalk. That QPR took them to extra time will do little for Nuno Espirito Santo's standing, despite a first win since 8 November.

There were, though, positives to take in the performance of Taty Castellanos, the Argentinian striker who scored the Hammers' winning goal. Have West Ham at last ended a search for a striker that has lasted almost as long as their London Stadium tenancy? They have looked everywhere.

The other goalscorer, Crysencio Summerville, who supplied the assist for the winner, put in one of his better West Ham performances, too. For one cold afternoon only, the Cup drew a veil over Premier League concerns.

"It feels really nice, so good, really good," Nuno said, his wait of 64 days for a win ended. "Goals change everything. It's going to change our week. We can make a step forward. Everything is going to feel better." Here was uncharacteristic optimism after fresh embarrassment had been averted.

Cheap ticket deals, including kids for a quid, meant the stadium was nowhere near as empty as during the midweek defeat against Nottingham Forest. Youthful voices roared on their Hammers anti-heroes. The contingents from west London were in full voice, too. "We'll see you all next year," the QPR crew sang. They have much to tell their east London brethren about supporting a club where Premier League dreams fade to subsistence in the second tier. Their manager, Julien Stephan, afterwards expressed his pride in "pushing a Premier League team until extra time".

Among the home fans, the mood was mutinous, as is habitual, with red-card protests against the stewardship of David Sullivan and Karren Brady, both sets of supporters uniting in the now traditional chorus of the club selling its soul by moving to the former Olympic Stadium. West Ham's form, and a terrible third-round record - no club has lost more ties at this stage than the Hammers - gave considerable grounds for optimism.

The closest anyone came amid early tedium was a stooping header from Rayan Kolli, a buzzy Rangers youth product. West Ham's first shot did not arrive until the 32nd minute, Summerville cutting inside to force a save from Joe Walsh. Both teams suffered the loss of personnel in that gruelling first half, Rangers' Koki Saito departing with a muscle problem. West Ham lost Konstantinos Mavropanos to a neck injury that required a motorised stretcher and added nine minutes to the half. "A nasty one," said Nuno. "We need to assesss him for a couple of days. Hopefully he will be OK."

Bringing on Pablo Felip as Mavropanos's replacement ripped up Nuno's five-man defensive plan, the other new signing partnering Castellanos to mirror Rangers' 4-4-2, adding old-school vibes to a time-honoured capital city derby. The veteran Steve Cook, partnering with the similarly robust Jimmy Dunne in the Rangers defence, threw in a fine blocking tackle to deny Castellanos.

West Ham had at last found momentum. Pablo Felipe set off on a run and with Castellanos's help, held off Dunne. Following that, Soungoutou Magassa set up Summerville to score a goal on half-time. Positives in two January signings playing their part, though Summerville registering only his second Hammers goal is an indicator of the success of the club's other recent transfer business.

More will follow, according to Nuno. "We still need players coming in that can help us," he said. "We always want them to come in as soon as possible but it is a tricky transfer situation in which to operate."

Kolli and Richard Kone, QPR's attacking duo, were more often found chasing down opposition possession than their own team's attacks. West Ham failed to heed prior warnings. Karamoko Dembele's lithe turn of foot and pirouette opened space, and his cross was met by Kone to nod home. "It was an amazing moment," Stephan said of the celebrations. "For a moment I felt I was in Loftus Road."

Neither team pushed recklessly to reach the fourth round in regulation time. Rangers found chances hard to come by, Kone having only a half chance after more good work from the lively Kolli, whose loss to injury was a blow.

Extra time arrived, with West Ham trying far harder to avoid a shootout. Summerville's speedy run to the line and his good cross found Castellanos in prime position to nod home the winner.

Positive signs indeed. West Ham will require many more in the coming months to avoid a reunion.