West Ham needed little time to take control at the ProAmpac Stadium, but the game changed almost immediately for Lincoln. Tom Hamer was sent off after three minutes, Conor McGrandles followed 20 minutes later, and West Ham went on to record a 6-0 win that manager Nuno Espírito Santo said was the club's biggest away victory in 103 years.
Even with nine men, Lincoln stayed in the contest for long stretches and frustrated West Ham before the visitors finally found a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time. Konstantinos Mavropanos headed West Ham ahead to make it 1-0, and that goal shifted the match in a more decisive direction.
How West Ham finished the job
After the break, West Ham made the numerical advantage count. Edvin Austbø, Jarrod Bowen, Pablo and Tomas Soucek all scored in the second half, with Soucek adding two goals of his own to put the result beyond doubt. By full time, West Ham had turned a difficult-looking first half into a six-goal away win.
The scoreline was brutal, but Nuno Espírito Santo still stressed that Lincoln had made life difficult for his side. He said he credited Lincoln because, even after going down to 10 and then nine players, they remained in the game and created problems. He also said West Ham made mistakes by trying to rush things, before adding that the match changed after the second goal and his team became more patient, recycled the ball better and looked more clinical.
What the result means
For West Ham, the headline is not only the six goals but also the scale of the away win. A result of this kind is rare at any level, and Nuno's comments underlined that the match was not straightforward until the second half opened up. For Lincoln, the two red cards inside the first 23 minutes left them with a huge task, even if they did briefly keep West Ham waiting for the opener.
The broader Championship roundup also included Southampton's 1-0 win over Norwich and Portsmouth's 3-2 win over Sheffield United. Those results sat alongside a night that will be remembered most for West Ham's response to early adversity and Soucek's two-goal contribution.
