Nuno Espirito Santo hails West Ham character after dramatic FA Cup shootout win

Delight swept through the London Stadium as Nuno Espirito Santo hailed his players after West Ham United edged Brentford in a dramatic FA Cup fifth round tie settled by penalties.

The contest finished 2-2 after extra time but the Hammers kept their nerve from the spot to win 5-3 and seal passage into the quarter finals, sending the home crowd into celebration after a tense London derby.

Captain Jarrod Bowen and Brentford forward Igor Thiago traded goals in a fiercely contested encounter that swung repeatedly in momentum.

West Ham began brightly and created several openings yet Brentford stayed resilient and punished moments of hesitation.

When the game drifted into penalties the decisive moment arrived as Dango Ouattara attempted an audacious Panenka but failed to execute it, handing West Ham the advantage they needed.

West Ham’s Sao Tome-born coach later praised both the performance and the atmosphere, insisting the team achieved exactly what it set out to do.

“We are happy, we are delighted, that we achieved what we proposed to do. It was a tough match but it was a fantastic atmosphere, the London Stadium is helping us so much, so I think we deserved to give this moment of happiness to our fans.”

Nuno also felt his side should have settled the match earlier after creating chances in the second half, though he praised the response of his squad and the impact of substitutes during a demanding contest.

“We started well. It was a very tight game, Brentford are a very good team but in the second half we had the chances to put the game to bed.”

The Portuguese coach added that the FA Cup provides valuable motivation across the squad because it offers opportunities for players who work hard in training but do not always feature in league matches. Attention will now turn to the next challenge against Manchester City although Nuno admitted there was concern after Crysencio Summerville picked up a knock late in the match.