Match ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, West Ham United 2.
James Ward-Prowse scored direct from a corner to give West Ham a precious Premier League win at Wolves - but the victory was marred by an injury scare around Jarrod Bowen.
Ward-Prowse's 84th-minute effort swerved over Wolves keeper Jose Sa and dipped in at the far post to complete a second-half comeback after Lucas Paqueta cancelled out Pabio Sarabia's penalty with his own coolly-taken spot-kick.
The game ended in controversy though as Wolves were denied what they thought was an equaliser in the ninth minute of stoppage time for an offside against young substitute Tawanda Chirewa. He was deemed to have impeded Lukasz Fabianski, even though the Hammers goalkeeper was getting nowhere near Max Kilman's header.
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However, David Moyes' joy at victory will be tempered significantly by the loss of Bowen.
The England forward appeared to hurt his hip as he fell awkwardly five minutes into the second period and although he tried to continue, it quickly became apparent he had to go off.
Bowen made his way straight to the dressing room but was moving very slowly as he went.
"It was a knee into his hip or back," said Moyes. "The good thing is it isn't a twist. But he is really stiff. I asked him how he was and he said 'sore'.
"I have had one or two of those myself and they don't go away too quickly. We have to hope it doesn't linger."
With 19 goals, Bowen is by far West Ham's biggest attacking threat and would have been a key man in his club's Europa League quarter-final first-leg tie in Germany on Thursday against a Bayer Leverkusen side yet to lose a game under Xabi Alonso this season.
"I am hoping it won't be too bad - in this week of all weeks, we need all our big players to be ready," Moyes added.
Only their third Premier League triumph of 2024, the victory keeps alive West Ham's hopes of securing European qualification for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season through their Premier League position.
For Wolves, a fourth game without a win in all competitions matches their longest run of the season as injuries continue to hamper Gary O'Neil's hopes of a top-half finish.
O'Neil fury but delight for Moyes
After the game, O'Neil marched straight to referee Tony Harrington, who made the decision to rule out what would have been Wolves' late equaliser after being asked to look at the pitchside monitor.
Wolves feel they have been on the wrong end of too many crucial calls this term and this was another that will frustrate them hugely.
Not that Moyes will be concerned about that as West Ham went level on points with his former club Manchester United.
It was intriguing to see former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper in the stands for one of those games that irritates West Ham fans about Moyes, whose future beyond the end of the season remains open to question with the Scot yet to indicate whether he will sign the contract extension he says he has been offered.
Moyes opted to leave Michail Antonio on the bench and pick Paqueta as his wide left attacking option.
Aside from an inexplicable miss from Tomas Soucek, who trod on the ball with the goal at his mercy after Bowen had robbed Nelson Semedo by the goalline and delivered the perfect cutback into the Czech's path, West Ham were non-existent as an attacking force in the opening period.
Antonio replaced Soucek at the break, which transformed the flow of the contest.
West Ham made light of Bowen's early exit and with Antonio pushing Wolves' defence back, the home side were unable to relieve growing pressure around their penalty area.
After Kilman had handled Emerson's cross, Paqueta kept his nerve to beat Jose Sa's despairing dive by millimetres.
Then, after Matt Doherty had denied Mohammed Kudus a shooting chance, Ward-Prowse delivered the precision from the corner flag that Wolves could not repel.
Ait-Nouri shines in Wolves defeat
Had Julen Lopetegui remained as Wolves manager this season rather than quitting days before it began, it is hard to imagine Rayan Ait-Nouri making the impact he has.
The Algerian started two Premier League games for Lopetegui. One was in a fabulous victory at Liverpool, but it is clear Lopetegui didn't fancy him.
Given an extended opportunity by O'Neil, Ait-Nouri has proved the folly of Lopetegui's decision-making.
The issue, it appears, was down to Ait-Nouri's attitude. O'Neil has worked both on that and the defender's fitness.
The result is a far more decisive player, capable at the back but, as has been seen during Wolves' injury-riddled second half of the season, a real danger when he runs at defences.
Ait-Nouri had already won a corner with a length-of-the-field burst that ended with a blocked shot, when he surged into the box to win Wolves' first-half penalty.
Evidently, Moyes did not think much of the decision but Sarabia's finish was well deserved on the balance of play.
As for Ait-Nouri, it was another valuable contribution, which will focus minds around his complicated contractual situation.
Wolves are currently committed to a 50% sell-on clause as part of the £9.5m deal that saw him signed from French club Angers in 2020, but the contract be bought out at any point.
On this evidence, Wolves will surely want to do that given the player's current value far exceeds his purchase price and Ait-Nouri is bound to attract attention from bigger and richer clubs this summer.
Player of the match
Ward-ProwseJames Ward-Prowse
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Avg
- Squad number3Player nameAït-NouriAverage rating
6.35
- Squad number21Player nameSarabiaAverage rating
5.68
- Squad number20Player nameDoyleAverage rating
5.65
- Squad number2Player nameDohertyAverage rating
5.60
- Squad number5Player nameLeminaAverage rating
5.47
- Squad number22Player nameNélson SemedoAverage rating
5.40
- Squad number8Player nameJoão GomesAverage rating
5.37
- Squad number4Player nameBuenoAverage rating
5.30
- Squad number1Player nameJosé SáAverage rating
5.27
- Squad number23Player nameKilmanAverage rating
5.25
- Squad number24Player nameToti GomesAverage rating
5.24
- Squad number12Player nameMatheus CunhaAverage rating
4.90
- Squad number6Player nameTraoréAverage rating
4.47
- Squad number17Player nameBuenoAverage rating
4.27
- Squad number84Player nameChiwomeAverage rating
4.25
- Squad number62Player nameChirewaAverage rating
4.20
West Ham United
Avg
- Squad number7Player nameWard-ProwseAverage rating
7.52
- Squad number9Player nameAntonioAverage rating
7.42
- Squad number2Player nameJohnsonAverage rating
7.26
- Squad number10Player nameLucas PaquetáAverage rating
7.23
- Squad number3Player nameCresswellAverage rating
7.22
- Squad number20Player nameBowenAverage rating
7.22
- Squad number14Player nameKudusAverage rating
7.14
- Squad number19Player nameÁlvarezAverage rating
7.02
- Squad number15Player nameMavropanosAverage rating
6.98
- Squad number1Player nameFabianskiAverage rating
6.82
- Squad number33Player nameEmersonAverage rating
6.66
- Squad number28Player nameSoucekAverage rating
6.50
- Squad number4Player nameZoumaAverage rating
6.48
- Squad number5Player nameCoufalAverage rating
6.44
Line-ups
Wolves
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 1Sá
- 4Bueno
- 23Kilman
- 24GomesBooked at 78mins
- 22Nélson Semedo
- 5LeminaSubstituted forTraoréat 75'minutesBooked at 88mins
- 8João GomesBooked at 43mins
- 2DohertySubstituted forBuenoat 87'minutes
- 3Aït-NouriSubstituted forMatheus Cunhaat 55'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 20DoyleSubstituted forChirewaat 87'minutes
- 21SarabiaBooked at 90minsSubstituted forChiwomeat 75'minutes
Substitutes
- 6Traoré
- 12Matheus Cunha
- 14Lemina
- 15Dawson
- 17Bueno
- 25Bentley
- 62Chirewa
- 63Fraser
- 84Chiwome
West Ham
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Fabianski
- 5CoufalSubstituted forJohnsonat 45'minutes
- 15Mavropanos
- 4Zouma
- 33EmersonBooked at 30mins
- 19Álvarez
- 28SoucekSubstituted forAntonioat 45'minutes
- 14Kudus
- 7Ward-Prowse
- 10Lucas PaquetáBooked at 90mins
- 20BowenSubstituted forCresswellat 54'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Johnson
- 3Cresswell
- 9Antonio
- 11Phillips
- 17Cornet
- 18Ings
- 21Ogbonna
- 27Aguerd
- 49Anang
- Referee:
- Tony Harrington
- Attendance:
- 31,504
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home58%
- Away42%
- Shots
- Home14
- Away11
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away4
- Corners
- Home4
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home15
- Away7
Live Text
Post update
Booking
Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Full Time
Second Half ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, West Ham United 2.
Booking
Pablo Sarabia (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
VAR Decision: No Goal Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 West Ham United.
Post update
GOAL OVERTURNED BY VAR: Maximilian Kilman (Wolverhampton Wanderers) scores but the goal is ruled out after a VAR review.
Post update
Offside, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Tawanda Chirewa is caught offside.
Post update
Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Ben Johnson.
Post update
Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right from a direct free kick.
Post update
Foul by Maximilian Kilman (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Post update
Emerson (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Attempt missed. Boubacar Traoré (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Nélson Semedo.
Post update
Attempt missed. Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Emerson.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Nélson Semedo.
Booking
Lucas Paquetá (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card.
Booking
Boubacar Traoré (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Boubacar Traoré (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Post update
Edson Álvarez (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Hugo Bueno replaces Matt Doherty.
Substitution
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Tawanda Chirewa replaces Tommy Doyle.
Comments
Join the conversation
Unlucky Wolves.
Hope you have a strong finish to the season, got a lot of time for O'Neil and always liked Wolves as a club. Best of luck 👍
⚒⚒⚒⚒⚒
Also, why does Moyes insist on overlooking Cornet? He must really hate the guy puzzling?
Scrap it now, except for goal line technology.
COYI ⚒️