Why Nuno Espírito Santo faces an early test after West Ham's Charlton defeat

Nuno Espírito Santo has been given an early reminder that the Championship offers no easy afternoons.

West Ham United's 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic at the London Stadium has placed immediate focus on the Hammers' start under Nuno. Charlton scored twice before Joel Piroe pulled one back on his debut, while Valentin Castellanos missed a stoppage-time penalty that could have rescued a point for the hosts.

The result was West Ham's first home league defeat of the campaign and allowed Charlton to maintain their perfect start, joining Millwall as the only two clubs with six points from their opening two matches. For Nuno, the challenge is now to prevent one disappointing afternoon from becoming a wider crisis this early in the season.

West Ham left themselves too much to do

Charlton made the better start and took the lead through Lloyd Jones in the seventh minute. Tyreece Campbell then doubled the visitors' advantage in the 56th minute, leaving West Ham with a significant deficit to overcome against a side many had underestimated before kick-off, according to BBC Sport's match report.

Piroe's 74th-minute goal gave the hosts hope, but West Ham could not find an equaliser in normal time. Castellanos had the clearest opportunity when he stepped up for a 93rd-minute penalty after Conor Coventry was penalised for handball, yet his effort struck the base of the post, allowing Charlton to leave London with all three points intact.

The sequence will concern Nuno because West Ham's response arrived too late. The team eventually created pressure and dominated late possession, but the opening hour had already given Charlton the platform they needed to control the contest.

Why the pressure has arrived so quickly

Nuno Espírito Santo is an experienced manager, but expectations at West Ham remain high following their relegation from the Premier League. A home defeat against a Charlton side many observers expected to struggle creates immediate questions about intensity, chance creation and defensive concentration in the opening exchanges.

The result should not be viewed in isolation, since it followed a draw against Burnley on the opening weekend. One winless run early in a long campaign does not define a manager's work, but the manner of this loss means Nuno will be expected to find a response quickly, and he has already apologised to supporters for the performance.

Charlton's victory also exposed the danger of starting slowly. Nathan Jones' team played with confidence after taking the lead, while West Ham had to chase the match from behind. Against better-organised opponents, that kind of early deficit can quickly become difficult to overturn.

What Nuno must fix

West Ham need to show greater urgency from the opening whistle rather than waiting until the final quarter of matches to assert themselves. They must also improve their attacking rhythm so that goals do not depend on late pressure or fortunate individual moments against tiring defences.

The missed penalty will attract plenty of attention, but it should not obscure the wider problem. West Ham had already placed themselves in a difficult position before Castellanos even stepped up to take it.

Nuno's next task is therefore psychological as well as tactical. He must ensure the squad reacts with composure rather than panic. A strong performance in the next fixture would quickly reduce the growing noise, while another poor result could make this defeat feel far more significant by the time September arrives.