Last year, Wolves failed to persuade Julen Lopetegui to remain at Molineux, but they managed to retain him in his current position. Gary O’Neil’s team lost again due to poor set-piece defence, and even if West Ham didn’t play with much flair, they may continue to postpone calling on Lopetegui’s future after defeating wasteful opponents with goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.
In the end, it seems like West Ham is postponing the inevitable because a loss here would have ended their unpopular manager’s miserable tenure. They are in a strange position, seven points out of fifth place and nine points above the bottom three, and the atmosphere is not very convincing. Although it was crucial to win for Michail Antonio, who is recuperating from his terrible car accident, West Ham would be fooling themselves to believe that a draw would have flattered Wolves, and this performance did little to energise the home crowd.
As it stands, O’Neil’s defeat could spell his doom. Wolves had two significant penalty requests denied, had opportunities, and had Matt Doherty construct a beautiful equaliser, but the walls are closing in. O’Neil, who praised his team’s performance, has a limited amount of time to demonstrate his ability to avoid relegation.
The issue for Wolves, who are still in the bottom three, is that they have the Premier League’s worst defensive record. Doherty’s goal was answered by West Ham in just two minutes, with Bowen curling in the game-winning goal. Eventually, O’Neil’s superiors will lose it.
I’ll be incredibly proud of the work when it’s over,” the Wolves manager remarked. “The players will give it their all for me right up until the very end. They are heartbroken for me. For the supporters, they are heartbroken.
When Mario Lemina clashed with Bowen at full time, the situation nearly boiled over due to the profound pain of losing. Lemina’s teammates had to pull him away, and the midfielder even got into a fight with O’Neil’s assistant Shaun Derry. “Mario is at ease now,” O’Neil remarked.
After Antonio’s accident, this was sure to be an emotional night. Despite his survival, supporters are unsure if the forward will return to action following surgery for a broken leg.
Before kickoff, Antonio was at least able to communicate with his teammates over a video hookup. However, West Ham felt the loss of their all-time Premier League top scorer. It was unsettling to think about a future without him up front, and they honoured him with special training clothes.
Since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015, the now 34-year-old has consistently displayed those heart-stopping runs. West Ham missed Antonio’s presence during the first half, and fans like his graft. After losing to Leicester last week, they chose not to fire Lopetegui, but they did not see many indications that an identity was emerging under the Spaniard. Wolves were not put under a lot of pressure before halftime because the football was moving too slowly.
O’Neil found motivation in his team’s work ethic and discipline. Rayan Aït-Nouri stopped Carlos Soler’s goalbound attempt after Wolves sat in a low block and Crysencio Summerville’s crafty pass found Soler, creating an opening for West Ham.
West Ham played in bursts, causing Wolves to falter. Sam Johnstone was put to the test by Mohammed Kudus and Bowen. From close range, Konstantinos Mavropanos missed.
Following their 4-0 loss to Everton, Wolves were wary. However, they ought to have taken the lead when Doherty went past Emerson Palmieri on the right after a pass from Jørgen Strand Larsen. Doherty’s cross was somehow volleyed wide at the far post by João Gomes.
West Ham took a more decisive approach. After a sluggish start to the second half, Aaron Wan-Bissaka won a controversial corner to get them moving. Soucek hooked a header past Johnstone, Bowen’s delivery was deep, and there was no marking.
Following their fifth consecutive set-piece concession, Wolves faltered. Playing with increased vigour, West Ham was quickly denied a second goal when Kudus converted Bowen’s cutback offside.
Wolves spotted a relief now. Positive adjustments were made by O’Neil, who changed the flow with the addition of Gonçalo Guedes and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. When Emerson, who was on a booking, shoved Guedes and was not given a penalty, Wolves were furious. Bellegarde was clipped by Mavropanos, but West Ham managed to escape punishment for another.
Even when Doherty clobbered Aït-Nouri’s cross past Lukasz Fabianski, it was not to be for Wolves. West Ham scored from another set piece two minutes later. O’Neil called a foul on Santiago Bueno, but the game went on, and Kudus found Bowen, who sidestepped Guedes’ feeble challenge and shaped a beautiful shot beyond Johnstone
Bowen had described Antonio as “a fighter and a warrior.” The captain of West Ham now ran behind the goal to remove a shirt in the striker’s honour. The story was established. Wolves had more opportunities, but Lopetegui held on for the time being and O’Neil’s luck ran out.
