Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek struck to help West Ham and Julen Lopetegui secure a much-needed 2-1 win over Wolves, in what was billed as a must-win game for the Hammers boss while also putting pressure on Gary. was applied. O’Neill.
On a night rife with drama, tension and controversy, West Ham captain Bowen emerged as the hero with three goals in 18 second-half minutes. Matt Doherty equalized for Wolves after Soucek’s opener and also scored twice. A VAR call was made. The game also saw two further strikes ruled out and two Wolves penalty appeals dismissed by the referee.
“There were a few big decisions that had a huge impact on the outcome,” O’Neil said, later expressing his frustration. “I thought we should have had two penalties, which were blatant fouls on (Santiago) Bueno to score the second goal.
“I understand how difficult the job is for the officials, but you need some of that to get things going the way you want. “There were some really big demands there that we didn’t get the way we wanted. The first goal was potentially not even a corner. “A lot of things went against us.”
The Hammers’ No. 1 player underwent surgery after a car accident on Saturday. 9 The stakes were in sight all night long as they showed their support for Michail Antonio. However, in football terms, this appears to have been quite a success for Lopetegui. Hang up.
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Tomas Soucek has revealed that Michail Antonio spoke to West Ham’s squad via video call ahead of their 2-1 win over Wolves in the Premier League.
It was also a crushing defeat for under-pressure Wolves boss O’Neill, with his side still second and four points from safety.
O’Neill can list a long list of controversial calls that have gone against him during his tenure, including on Monday night when West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka appeared to take the final touch on the ball before the game in place of Wolves’ Totti. There were more calls. A corner kick was awarded which the unmarked Soucek looped in his header.
VAR came to Wolves’ rescue when Mohammed Kudus thought he had attempted a tap but was clearly offside. And the striker saw another attempt failed in similar circumstances in the final minutes. But the visiting coaching staff were left frustrated when officials at Stokely Park did not recommend an on-field review when Emerson tackled Goncalo Guedes to the ground after running into the West Ham box. PGMOL later said VAR believed the contact occurred outside the box, but O’Neill was confident the contact continued into the area.
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West Ham and Wolves fans applauded in the ninth minute in memory of Michail Antonio, who was involved in a car accident on Saturday.
But Wolves equalized just seconds later when Doherty headed in Rayan Ait-Nouri’s low cross. But his celebration of his first goal for a year was short-lived as Bowen put the Hammers back in front almost immediately with a trademark twisting run. And a low finish.
He held his Antonio shirt high during celebrations and West Ham fans chanted the absent striker’s name as their team secured an important win that they hope will ultimately serve as a springboard. They are now nine points above the drop zone.
Wolves would point out Kostas Mavropanos for a possible foul on Santiago Bueno 11 seconds before Bowen’s goal, and Wolves would receive another VAR call in the second half for a possible foul on Jean-Richner Bellegarde’s foot. Mavropanos made the save when he fell down in the penalty box. VAR ruled that it was not a clear and obvious error by the referee.
Joao Gomes missed a good chance to put them ahead in the first half but their weak defense was exposed again and the damage was done after the break when Mavropanos missed a good opener of his own in the first 45 minutes. O’Neil was annoyed by Soucek’s lax display for the opener.
The full-time whistle saw captain Bowen and Mario Lemina clash, with Lemina later pushing his team-mates and coaching staff towards the end of a high-pressure night.
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Things heated up after the full-time whistle from Jarrod Bowen and Mario Lemina.
Lopetegui: I dedicate this victory to Antonio
west ham president Julen Lopetegui:
“We are happy. We dedicate the victory to Michail and his family. The last days, last week and especially the last days were hard. He deserves it. We love Michail a lot. He is a special person to us. I I am confident that he will overcome this bad moment and the best we can do today is to win for him.
“The first half did not start well. We always scored important set-piece goals. The team showed character and good mentality (after the equalizer). Having this mentality will help us score more goals. .
“We deserved the win, we had a lot of chances and corners. We overcame the bad moments.”
O’Neil: Simple decisions went against us.
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Wolves manager Gary O’Neill said there was a ‘flagrant foul’ on Santiago Bueno shortly before Jared Bowen’s winner at the London Stadium.
wolf president Gary O’Neill:
“We gave ourselves a chance to get something from the game. The players are still 100 percent committed and willing to fight and give everything. We probably would have won the game with good chances and good moments. And then we gave ourselves away and lost the sign at a corner that didn’t seem to be a corner, we were told, for the last time.
“Today we couldn’t find a way to turn it in our favor. But some decisions went against us even in big games. It’s a big moment. Some decisions that seemed fairly simple went against us.”
On Mavropanos’ challenge in Bueno before Bowen’s goal: “It’s a blatant foul on Santi Bueno and there can be no difference. The ball is still in the same area. They will find a reason and of course they will. I think there will be gray areas and wording there. The rules are different. “It could be interpreted as an eggplant, but it was a blatant foul on Bueno seconds before the goal was scored.”
Shout out to Guedes on his penalty kick: “I don’t think Ghez is outside the box. The contact definitely continues inside the box, for sure. We will look into it and have a frank conversation with them (PGMOL).
“It would have been a big turning point in the game because Emerson also received a yellow card.”
Here’s a shout out to Bellegarde’s penalty kick: “Maybe it’s not obvious or obvious, but he fell twice. I think the on-field referee should give it the same as the first referee.”
“How is that not a foul?!” – Carragher on key decisions for West Ham goal
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher on the Soucek goal:
“It’s not Conor, but you can’t criticize the referees there. You talk about things going against you. That came from Wan-Bissaka. Wolves need to defend set-pieces better.”
About Bowen’s goals:
“I think Mavropanos jumps for the ball and fouls a defender on the floor. He doesn’t react much and Bowen scores shortly afterwards.
“He’s jumping for the ball and trying to get the ball and he’s just jumping behind the defender. How is that not a foul?!”
