Albion 3 West Ham 0: MU21s reach PL2 semi-finals

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Callum Mackley, Shane Nti and Josh Robertson grabbed the goals.

Nick Szczepanik

2026-05-04T21:10+01:00

Shane Nti has scored seven goals across the regular Premier League 2 season and the elimination playoffs. 📸 by James Boardman.

An impressive all-round display against West Ham United at Lancing sent Albion into the Premier League 2 elimination playoff semi-finals.

They will now play Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday 8 May, kick-off 7pm, for a place in the final against either Manchester City or Manchester United.

Right back Callum Mackley headed Albion into the lead from a corner after 35 minutes and Shane Nti made it 2-0 five minutes later.

West Ham played the final 22 minutes a man short after Joshua Ajala was sent off for a lunging challenge on Miah Oriola.

Shannon Ruth's team beat Ipswich Town in the previous round to reach the quarter-final stage. 📸 by James Boardman.

And Josh Robertson sealed the victory with the third goal after 83 minutes.

It was an evening when Oriola was unplayable down the left and Harry Howell’s England class stood out. But the whole team deserved credit for defending well against an enterprising West Ham side.

Albion were first to threaten when Robertson’s strong run in the sixth minute led to a prolonged bout of pinball in the West Ham penalty area.

But they had a narrow escape after 14 minutes when the unmarked Ajala side-footed wide after a low cross from Hammers right back Jethro Medine.

As so often, Oriola was looking like the player most likely to open up the visitors’ defence but one promising low cross from the left towards Robertson was intercepted and a second resulted in the former Sunderland midfielder seeing his shot blocked.

Callum Mackley nodded Albion in front. 📸 by James Boardman.

However, a third marauding run from Oriola led to the opening goal ten minutes before the interval. His deep cross was cleared at the expense of a corner by defender Joshua Briggs and Mackley met Robertson’s flag kick at the far post with a firm downward header.

Five minutes later it was 2-0 and this time Howell and Sean Keogh combined to send Oriola through once more and his instant cross was side-footed home from close range by Nti.

Albion, though, had not had things all their own way and needed to make a series of blocks as West Ham looked to get back in the game.

But they twice came close to making it 3-0 soon after the restart, first when Noel Atom’s goal-bound volley from Robertson’s corner was nodded off the goalline by Hammers captain Airidas Golambeckis.

And then Nti somehow headed Tyler Silsby’s cross wide when it seemed easier to score.

Josh Robertson made it 3-0 in the last ten minutes of the game. 📸 by James Boardman.

Steven Hall saved well from Lewis Orford’s free kick as West Ham looked to make the most of those narrow escapes.

But the Londoners' task was made harder after 68 minutes when Ajala was shown a red card as he stretched to challenge Oriola and brought down the Albion wide man.

And Albion made it 3-0 when Robertson took Kofi Shaw’s pass and sent a low left-foot shot past goalkeeper Finley Hopper’s right hand.