Mohamed Magdy  

21 ว

Soucek and Bowen stave off Wolves

Wolves could not convince Julen Lopetegui to stay at Molineux last year but they have kept him in his current job. Woeful defending from set pieces cost Gary O’Neil’s side again and, while West Ham hardly played with much style, they can continue to defer making a call on Lopetegui’s future after seeing off wasteful opponents thanks to opportunistic goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.

Ultimately the sense persists that West Ham are delaying the inevitable given that defeat here would have brought an end to their unpopular manager’s unhappy reign. They are in an odd place – nine points above the bottom three, seven off fifth place – and the overall vibe is unconvincing. This performance did little to energise the home crowd and, although it was important to win for Michail Antonio, who is recovering after his horrific car crash, West Ham would be kidding themselves to think a draw would have flattered Wolves.

As it was, this defeat may prove the end for O’Neil. Wolves created chances, crafted a fine equaliser from Matt Doherty and had two big penalty claims turned away, but the walls are closing in.

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