Jarrod Bowen scored a goal and assisted Tomas Soucek as West Ham United beat Wolves 2-1 in a battle of embattled managers at the London Stadium on Monday.
The jobs of both Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil were reportedly on the line in this six-pointer, and West Ham got the win after a scoreless, tense first half that saw both teams trying to grind out a positive result.
[ MORE: Lopetegui, Bowen react on win, Antonio accident ]
West Ham was playing with emotion to boot, as both Soucek and Bowen saluted Michail Antonio after their goals. Antonio was seriously injured in a car accident this weekend.
[ MORE: O’Neil makes case for Wolves players, his job ]
Matt Doherty scored his first Premier League goal since Christmas Eve for Wolves, as O’Neil looks to the table and sees his side four points off safety with nine points from 15 matches.
West Ham stay in 14th place points after the win. Their 18 points are now nine clear of the bottom three.
The game finished with a furious Mario Lemina trying to get at Jarrod Bowen after the Wolves man threw Bowen to the ground at the final whistle. Once Lemina was led away from the fray, he pushed a teammate and a staff member.
Not a game to get anyone fired, but will it matter?
The game was billed as “El Sackico,” one of those contests where the losing team’s manager may be out of work in the morning, and it featured the right intensity from both teams. The more talented attacking team had more of the ball, but West Ham had higher expectations for their side entering the season as they spent well for Julen Lopetegui while Wolves sold two big players in Max Kilman and Pedro Neto and finished the window with a hefty profit. O’Neil may well lose his job on Tuesday with Ipswich Town and Leicester City next, but he’s going to hope against probability that his fighters get to fight for him against two more bottom-half sides. For a game this finely-tuned, where Wolves could’ve easily drawn two penalties and West Ham’s first goal coming off a wrongly-awarded corner, to cost one man his job in December is rough, especially for a boss who was done dirty at his last stop (though Wolves fans will note that the seemingly harsh decision from Bournemouth has worked out quite well for the Cherries under Andoni Iraola).
West Ham vs Wolves player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
West Ham vs Wolves player ratings (from fotmob.com)
West Ham vs Wolves player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
West Ham play at 3pm ET Monday at Bournemouth.
Wolves have two huge matches ahead — Saturday at home to Ipswich Town and Dec. 22 at Leicester City.
How to watch West Ham vs Wolves live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET, Monday (December 9)
Venue: London Stadium — London
TV Channel: USA Network
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
West Ham vs Wolves final score: 2-1
Tomas Soucek 54', Matt Doherty 70', Jarrod Bowen 72'
West Ham vs Wolves live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time — West Ham 2-1 Wolves
Subs for both
Ait-Nouri leaves the game for Rodrigo Gomes, while West Ham prepare a triple sub.
Aaron Cresswell, Guido Rodriguez, and Jean-Clair Todibo enter for Emerson Palmieri, Mohammed Kudus, and Edson Alvarez.
Wolves send chance over the bar
Cunha forces a turnover and it’s Bellegarde leading the way into the 18.
Bellegarde tries to get the ball back to Cunha in the box, and is soon felled chasing the loose ball.
Cunha finds Tommy Doyle near the edge of the 18 and the youngster slams the ball way over the bar.
VAR checks and has no recommendation on the possible penalty.
Still 2-1 West Ham, now in the 85th minute.
Jarrod Bowen goal — West Ham 2-1 Wolves (72nd minute)
Short-lived relief for O’Neil.
Kudus takes a loose ball at the back edge of the box and feeds Bowen.
Bowen gets Guedes moving and then fires a left-footed effort across goal and inside the far post.
Bowen redeploys the No. 9 jersey to the delight of the London Stadium.
West Ham brings Danny Ings on for Summerville.
Matt Doherty goal — West Ham 1-1 Wolves (70th mintue)
Almost a carbon copy of the cross that led to the Guedes miss.
Guedes starts this play, pushing the ball wide to Rayan Ait-Nouri, who spins a hard cross towards the penalty spot.
Matt Doherty races onto its path and belts home for 1-1!
O’Neil livid as VAR don’t hear Guedes penalty shout
Guedes is played into the box and catches an Emerson Palmieri shot in the back.
His next off-balance step sees him step on the ball and hit the turf.
VAR reviews, but nothing.
Wasted chance for Wolves
Matheus Cunha cues up a delightful cross for Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, but Goncalo Guedes isn’t aware of Bellegarde and attempts an unlikely overhead kick that goes nowhere near the goal.
It would’ve taken a solid header from Bellegarde.
Subs for both sides
Off go Jorgen Strand Larsen and Andre, with Goncalo Guedes and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde entering the fray.
West Ham takes off Carlos Soler in favor of Lucas Paqueta.
Mohammed Kudus goal called off by VAR
Summerville leads another rush, laying off for Bowen.
It looks like Bowen’s good for his second assist of the game, as Mohammed Kudus gets on the right side of Toti Gomes and snaps it home.
Kudus finds a chair to celebrate and hangs Antonio’s No. 9 jersey on the ad boards.
Unfortunately, VAR spots Kudus a foot offside. It stays 1-0, and the wheels that appeared to be off Wolves are reattached for at least another few minutes.
62'
Tomas Soucek goal — West Ham 1-0 Wolves (54th minute)
Wolves, what are you doing?
A corner kick — that should’ve been a goal kick — is sent over the pack of players and it’s Tomas Soucek at the back post.
The Czech midfielder is all alone, and he sends a hopeful looping header back across goal.
It sails over a stationary Johnstone, and no one does anything at the back post as the ball just walks across the line and into the side netting.
Soucek holds nine fingers to the camera for Antonio.
Yellow card
Summerville is being fouled repeatedly, and Matt Doherty is the latest to take a chunk out of the Dutch winger.
He sees yellow early in the scoreless second half.
Halftime — West Ham 0-0 Wolves
A couple more blocks for Wolves before halftime, as Toti Gomes has had a strong half as has Mario Lemina.
Summerville has been a live wire for West Ham, and ex-Wolves back Max Kilman is also performing well in this one.
Shots are 11-6 for the hosts, with West Ham edging possession and xG.
The Irons have had nine corner kicks without conceding one. They’ll feel they should be in front for Julen Lopetegui but Gary O’Neil’s men have held firm.
Wolves low block performing well
West Ham have taken nine shots but only two have gotten to Johnstone, as Wolves have been credited with six blocked shots.
0-0, 41'.
Great Wolves block
Crysencio Summerville spots the run of Carlos Soler from wingback, and the Spaniard has a shot from the right side of the box.
Rayan Ait-Nouri comes screaming in to block the attempt out for a corner, which Wolves manage to defend.
Salute to Michail Antonio
The crowd is singing and clapping for Michail Antonio, who was seriously injured in a car accident over the weekend and will likely miss the rest of the season.
It’s the ninth minute, and plenty of fans are pointing to No. 9 jerseys.
0-0.
Matheus Cunha injury
Cunha is being treated after an accidental shot to his head.
The Wolves star will play on.
0-0, 5'.
Sums of their parts
The names in both lineups show fantastic talent, and their statuses in an admittedly early relegation scrap are certainly underachievements.
Kilman, the former Wolves back, will be tasked with slowing the dangerous Matheus Cunha.
Sam Johnstone returns between the sticks for Wolves after Jose Sa’s seven matches as starting goalkeeper.
West Ham lineup
Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Mavropanos, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Soler, Kudus, Bowen, Summerville
Wolves lineup
Johnstone, Doherty, T. Gomes, Semedo, Ait-Nouri, Bueno, J. Gomes, Lemina, Andre, Cunha, Strand Larsen
West Ham vs Wolves preview — By Joe Prince-Wright
West Ham and Wolves both know this is a huge game in their season on Monday, with the jobs of both Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil reportedly on the line.
Everyone is wishing Michail Antonio well after the awful news that the West Ham striker was involved in a road traffic accident and has undergone surgery on a lower limb fracture. On the pitch at West Ham, Spanish coach Lopetegui has been under pressure for some time now, and he’s only a few months into this job at West Ham. Their 3-1 defeat at Leicester wasn’t helpful, even if West Ham dominated the game. They missed several chances and defensively they were woeful once again as their talented squad look so unorganized and sloppy when they lose the ball. Lopetegui knows he has to beat his former team Wolves otherwise that could be it for him at West Ham.
O’Neil was jeered by his own fans after Wolves were battered 4-0 at Everton last time out and time appears to be running out for him. Wolves have some real talent with Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen up top delivering the goods. But like West Ham, their Achilles heel has been defending and they’ve conceded eight goals in their last two games. If Wolves win this game they will be just three points behind West Ham and drag the Hammers right into the relegation scrap.
West Ham team news, focus
Lopetegui can’t even blame injuries for West Ham’s poor form since the start of the season. They’ve got a really talented squad but he doesn’t appear to know his best team, or formation, and West Ham are leaving themselves so open on the counter. The balance is off and he needs to finish a solution. Fast. He may start with Kudus, Paqueta, Bowen and Fullkrug go all-out for the win from the start and pin Wolves in their own half. Fullkrug is now fit and could play a big role with Antonio expected to be out for a lengthy period.
OUT: Michail Antonio (lower limb fracture) | QUESTIONABLE: Jean-Clair Todibo (other)
Wolves team news, focus
O’Neil has a fairly healthy squad too, with Cunha and Larsen developing a great partnership in attack and the duo of Lemina and Gomes reliable and doing their best to plug gaps in midfield and defense. But it’s in defense were they’ve struggled the most and have made some huge errors. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is likely to come in for the much-maligned Jose Sa.
OUT: Yerson Mosquera (knee), Boubacar Traore (knee), Enso Medina (knee), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee)
West Ham vs Wolves prediction
With so much on the line for both teams, this has the whiff of a chaotic draw about it. Neither team can defend and both look better when they’re attacking. West Ham 2-2 Wolves.
