Wolves were unable to convince Julen Lopetegui to stay at Molineux last year but have kept him in his current role. Woeful defending from set pieces once again cost Gary O'Neil's team and, although West Ham hardly played with much flair, they may continue to postpone a decision on Lopetegui's future after beating wasteful opponents thanks to goals opportunists by Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.
Ultimately, there remains a feeling that West Ham are delaying the inevitable given that a defeat here would have ended the unhappy reign of their unpopular manager. They are in a strange position (nine points above the bottom three, seven behind fifth) and the general atmosphere is not convincing. This performance did little to encourage the home crowd and, although it was important to win for Michail Antonio, who is recovering after his horrible car accidentWest Ham would be kidding themselves if they thought a draw would have flattered Wolves.
As things stood, this loss could be the end for O'Neil. Wolves created chances, got a good equalizer from Matt Doherty and turned away two big penalties, but the walls are closing in. O'Neil, who spoke about his team's performance, is running out of time to prove he can avoid relegation. .
The problem for Wolves, who remain in the bottom three, is that they have the worst defensive record in the world. first division. West Ham only needed two minutes to respond to Doherty's goal, Bowen scored the winner, and there will come a time when O'Neil's bosses will crack.
“When I'm done I'll be incredibly proud of the work,” the Wolves coach said. “Until the last moment the players are going to give everything for me. They are devastated for me. “They are devastated for the fans.”
The pain of defeat was so intense that Mario Lemina exploded in full time, colliding with Bowen, and the situation almost boiled over. Lemina's teammates had to drag him away and the midfielder even had an altercation with Shaun Derry, one of O'Neil's assistants. “Mario is calm now,” O'Neil said.
Surely this would be a night of intense emotions after Antonio's accident. Although the striker survived, fans can't help but wonder if he will play again after undergoing surgery on a broken leg.
At least Antonio was able to talk to his teammates via video link before kick-off. For West Ham, however, the absence of their record Premier League goalscorer weighed heavily. They paid tribute to him with special training shirts and it was disconcerting to think of a future without him up front.
Those lung-busting runs have been a constant feature since the player, now 34, arrived from Nottingham Forest in 2015. Fans adore Antonio's graft and West Ham missed his presence during the first half . Having decided not to fire Lopetegui after last week defeat at leicesterThey saw few signs of an identity developing under the Spanish. The football was too slow and the Wolves were not under much pressure before the break.
O'Neil was encouraged by his team's discipline and work rate. Wolves sat in a low block and when there was an opportunity for West Ham, a clever pass from Crysencio Summerville that found Carlos Soler, Rayan Aït-Nouri blocked the midfielder's shot.
West Ham played in spurts, sudden bursts that sent Wolves reeling. Bowen and Mohammed Kudus tested Sam Johnstone. Konstantinos Mavropanos missed from close range.
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The wolves were cautious after their 4-0 defeat against Everton. However, they should have taken the lead when Jørgen Strand Larsen's pass sent Doherty past Emerson Palmieri on the right. João Gomes somehow volleyed a Doherty cross wide at the far post.
West Ham were more decisive. They flailed after a slow start to the second half, Aaron Wan-Bissaka winning an arguable corner. Bowen's delivery was deep, the marking was non-existent and Soucek headed past Johnstone.
The Wolves reeled after their fifth consecutive set-piece concession. West Ham, playing with renewed enthusiasm, were soon denied a second as Kudus was offside converting a Bowen cut-back.
Now the Wolves saw a respite. O'Neil made positive changes, the introduction of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Gonçalo Guedes altered the flow. Wolves were furious when Guedes was denied a penalty after being pushed by Emerson, who was booked. West Ham got their way when Mavropanos cut off Bellegarde.
It was not for Wolves, even after Doherty beat Lukasz Fabianski with Aït-Nouri's cross. Two minutes later, West Ham pushed on another set piece. O'Neil saw a foul on Santiago Bueno but play continued and Kudus found Bowen who overcame a weak challenge from Guedes and fired a beautiful shot past Johnstone.
“A fighter and a warrior,” Bowen had said of Antonio. Now the West Ham captain ran behind the goal to pull out a shirt in honor of the striker. The narrative was set. The Wolves had more opportunities, but O'Neil's luck ran out and Lopetegui held on, for now.
