Surely this is where West Ham restore some festive spirit. We've converged from all over the country, Lisa arriving on the delayed train from Taunton, Nigel in Christmas jumper from Felixstowe, Big Sam from Wales, Matt from perusing the New Year's Honours List and a tardy Michael, fresh from his first pantomime of the day, Mama Goose at Stratford East Theatre Royal.
Its good to see Pablo Fornals being interviewed on the pitch before kick-off as Nuno starts with an unchanged side and Wilson on the bench. The game kicks off with the fans in a fairly positive mood apart from the festive "Sack the Board!" chants and red cards on 15 minutes. Areola does well to tip over a curling effort from the impressive Harry Wilson, but soon West Ham are on top.
Todibo plays a fine through ball to Jarrod Bowen, whose shot is tipped away by Leno. Ollie Scarles plays another good ball behind the Fulham defence to Bowen, whose low shot is tipped round the post by Leno, only for the offside flag to be raised. Potts plays in a free kick and Kilman does well to head back to Jimmy Summerville, whose goalbound shot is deflected wide.
West Ham are playing fairly well and showing some desire. Walker-Peters and Scarles are slotting in well in place of Wan-Bissaka and Diouf, while Magassa is strong in the tackle and Paqueta and Fernandes are busy in midfield. There's a scare before the break as Andersen's long-range shot is blocked by Areola's foot and Todibo does well to get to the rebound first.
At half-time Matt is still confident we'll win even if Nigel has forgotten his lucky banana. In an interval trivia outbreak, Nigel asks us who was the first Frenchman to play for West Ham and is mightily impressed when Matt answers David Terrier.
The second half sees Callum Wilson come on after 56 minutes, replacing Summerville, who has just dawdled over a shot rather than shooting first-time. The former Leeds man is still struggling to produce an end product. Magassa shows a new side to his game bursting down the right to force Leno into a parrying his cross-shot, though a defender clears under pressure from Wilson.
Paqueta has a shot straight at the keeper and continually tries to thread through intricate passes, but Fulham remain strong at the back. Magassa makes another fine run down the right, pulling back for Bowen to poke just wide when he should probably score. Wilson is giving the side a focus and after good work from Fernandes and Paqueta he breaks to get away from Cuenca and fire narrowly wide. There's yet another chance when Bowen sets up Wilson, who fires wastefully over.
It looks like West Ham will have to settle for a point from a game they could have won, that is until five minutes from the end. Fernandes heads away from goal but then Scarles slices and misses his clearance on the left. Wilson crosses instantly and Jimenez has lost Todibo to head home a simple goal. Poor Ollie has his head in his hands, though we all make mistakes and it's not his fault the team has missed chances.
TRIGGER WARNING
The whole stadium is deflated. George Earthy has replaced Paqueta but can't do much in eight minutes, and nor can Soucek. For the four minutes of added time West Ham tap it around at the back rather than put it in the mixer. For the first time this season I start to think we're really going down. We can't even respect the point. Ollie Scarles leaves the pitch in tears.
We retreat to the Eagle for pints of Old Speckled Hen and then a Wingman that has mysteriously reappeared on draught. Michael is heading off to the Almeida Theatre to see Christmas Day, a play which has trigger warnings for, "male nudity, blood, drug use, dead animals, vomiting, discussion of antisemitism, Islamophobic, anti-Black and antisemitic words, references to the Holocaust, discussion and descriptions of violence and conflict, and references to Gaza, child abuse, and bereavement." We wonder if West Ham games should also have trigger warnings for false hope, bad language, extreme frustration, tearful defenders, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and references to relegation.
The fan who sits in front of us says he's seen worse in 60 years of games, so we try to think of a comparable season but don't get much beyond the Avram Grant relegation season and the Pardew season in the Championship when we signed endless players like Adam Nowland, Jobi McAnuff, Jon Harley, Malky Mackay and Darryl Powell.
To cap it all my Tunnock's Caramel Wafer has fallen out of my coat pocket and is retrieved after my departure by Lisa and Matt. It's been that kind of day. Brighton and Wolves now become must-win games, but it's already feeling like it's too late to avoid the drop.
PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 6; Walker-Peters 6, Kilman 7, Todibo 6, Scarles 6; Potts 6, Magassa 7 (Soucek 5), Fernandes 6, Paqueta 6 (Earthy 5); Bowen 6, Summerville 5 (Wilson 6).
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