Jarrod Bowen eased the stress on West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui as his very good strike sealed a significant 2-1 win that pushed Wolves supervisor Gary O’Neil nearer to the sack on Monday. In a showdown dubbed “El Sackico” because of the intense scrutiny surrounding the futures of Lopetegui and O’Neil, it was the Hammers chief who earned some much-needed respiration area because of Bowen’s second of magic. Bowen bagged a priceless winner within the second half on the London Stadium, simply moments after Wolves defender Matt Doherty had cancelled out Tomas Soucek’s opener.
West Ham’s first win in three video games lifted them 9 factors away from the relegation zone, whereas second backside Wolves stay 4 factors adrift of security after their tenth defeat in 15 league matches.
In the aftermath of final week’s 3-1 loss at Leicester, Lopetegui was reported to have survived a board assembly about his place.
But the Spaniard, who changed David Moyes within the close-season, should construct on this precious victory over the staff he managed within the 2022-23 season earlier than he can absolutely calm down.
“I do not speak about noise, I speak about soccer. If you ask me about soccer, I’ll. A win is all the time good for me,” Lopetegui mentioned.
“The followers have supported us rather a lot by the unhealthy instances. I’m completely happy for them.”
O’Neil, who performed for West Ham from 2011 to 2013, heard Wolves followers name for his dismissal throughout their 4-0 thrashing at Everton on Wednesday.
Now he’ll anxiously await the decision from the Wolves board on his future, which appears to be like bleak after the newest blow to Wolves’ survival hopes.
“An terrible lot of choices went in opposition to us in a giant sport, huge moments. You want a few of them to go your means however they did not,” O’Neil mentioned.
“I’m not involved. People above me are supportive, however the supporters wish to achieve success. I perceive I’ve to take accountability.”
West Ham have been rocked on the weekend by the information that their Jamaica striker Michail Antonio had been in a critical automobile crash that left him needing surgical procedure on a decrease limb fracture.
The 34-year-old needed to be minimize out of his Ferrari following the accident, with Lopetegui admitting it was a “miracle” he survived.
“It wasn’t a straightforward week. We dedicate the victory to Michail,” Lopetegui mentioned.
Hammers followers held a minute’s applause for Antonio within the ninth minute to match his shirt quantity.
Composed Bowen
That emotional second was in stark distinction to the turgid first half fare produced by two groups wracked with nerves and undermined by a persistent lack of high quality in possession.
Wolves ought to have damaged the impasse when Matheus Cunha’s pin-point go despatched Doherty racing away for a teasing cross that Joao Gomes slashed over from close-range.
It was a pricey miss as Soucek put West Ham in entrance from a 54th minute nook, the unmarked Czech midfielder rising to loop his header over Sam Johnstone from six yards.
O’Neil was fuming once more after Wolves have been controversially denied a penalty for Emerson’s push on Goncalo Guedes.
Doherty gave O’Neil hope within the 69th minute when the defender met Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross with a half-volley that flashed previous Lukasz Fabianski from 10 yards.
But Bowen restored West Ham’s lead three minutes later because the England ahead danced into the Wolves space earlier than guiding a advantageous end into the far nook.
On an evening when Antonio was by no means removed from West Ham’s ideas, Bowen celebrated his essential winner by holding aloft his team-mate’s shirt.
In a dramatic finale, Wolves had one other penalty declare rejected when Konstantinos Mavropanos tripped Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, earlier than Fabianski denied Mario Lemina to depart O’Neil dealing with the axe.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
