LONDON: West Ham beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 in the Premier League and heaped more pressure on beleaguered coach Gary O’Neil on Monday.
Both sides came into the match under a cloud and the game was widely billed as a make-or-break match for O’Neill and West Ham counterpart Julen Lopetegui.
Wolves started the night second to last while the London side was in 14th place, and the pressure and nerves were apparent in an edgy first half that was devoid of class or composure.
Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos had half chances for West Ham, while at the other end João Gomes shot over from a good position.
Things improved after the break, and West Ham took the lead in the 53rd minutes from a corner kick. Wolves left Tomas Soucek unmarked at the back post and his looping header sailed into the far corner.
Matt Doherty equalized for Wolves in the 69th. However, just three minute later West Ham’s talismanic captain Jarrod Bowen found time and space in the box to slot home with his left foot.
West Ham was without Michail Antonio, its ever-present striker who broke a leg in a car crash on Saturday, and Bowen held up Antonio’s No. 9 shirt to celebrate his goal.
The West Ham players took the field in training tops with Antonio’s name and number on them and the home fans gave him a warm round of applause in the ninth minute.
The result left the Hammers in 14th spot, one point behind Manchester United. It was the third defeat in a row for Wolves, who remain on nine points, equal with third-to-last Ipswich Town.
West Ham beat Wolves after edgy Premier League match and heap more pressure on O’Neil
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West Ham beat Wolves after edgy Premier League match and heap more pressure on O’Neil
- Wolves started the night second to last while the London side was in 14th place, and the pressure and nerves were apparent in an edgy first half that was devoid of class or composure
Bayern Munich’s Luis Díaz gets Champions League ban cut after reckless foul on PSG’s Achraf Hakimi
- UEFA said Friday that Díaz’s appeal on the charge of “serious rough play” was upheld
- That means he still misses Bayern’s Champions League game at home to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday
NYON: Bayern Munich forward Luis Díaz has had his three-game Champions League ban reduced to two on appeal following his reckless foul on Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi.
UEFA said Friday that Díaz’s appeal on the charge of “serious rough play” was upheld, without specifying why.
That means he still misses Bayern’s Champions League game at home to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday but he can return against Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise next month.
Díaz scored twice before being sent off in an eventful 2-1 win against PSG last month. He made a wild lunge from behind and Hakimi’s left leg appeared to be momentarily trapped before he fell.
Díaz still has to serve more than the mandatory minimum one-game sanction for a red card, unlike Cristiano Ronaldo.
In an unusual decision last month, FIFA gave the Portuguese superstar a three-game ban, but with two suspended for a probationary period, over a serious foul-play incident against Ireland last month. That means he will likely avoid missing any games at the start of his record sixth World Cup next year.
