West Ham United fell to a irritating 1-0 defeat away from residence in opposition to fellow Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers. The scoreline maybe didn’t match the circulation of the match, with possibilities falling for each groups at common intervals.
Regardless of an early probability being squandered by Hammers striker Evan Ferguson, it was the Outdated Gold who took the lead at Molineux moments after Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made a improbable save from Toti Gomes, whose header he tipped large.
Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the one purpose of the sport on the 21-minute mark. He picked up a free ball on the sting of the field and, after shifting it onto his left foot, shot from vary. The ball took a deflection off former Wolves defender Max Kilman on its well beyond Areola.
Either side hit the woodwork, too, with Marshall Munetsi first hanging the bar with a strong shot and West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug heading onto the bar himself, with the rebound fired large by the onrushing Emerson.
The Hammers did have a giant probability to equalise late on by Tomas Soucek. The Czech midfielder obtained the ball off Fullkrug within the field, however selected to shoot from a slim angle fairly than return the ball to his teammate.
It was a disappointing day on the workplace for the Hammers, though there have been a few gamers who carried out effectively.
West Ham’s standout gamers vs. Wolves
Regardless of a poor end result within the West Midlands, a few Hammers gamers did stand out amongst the remaining. A kind of was wing-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has been a revelation for the Hammers since becoming a member of from Manchester United in the summertime.
Again in February, journalist Dan Woffenden described him as “merely excellent” up to now.
Towards the Outdated Gold, he as soon as once more carried out effectively in that wing-back function. As per Sofascore, Wan-Bissaka created one probability, accomplished 88% of his passes and gained a formidable seven from seven tackles.
It was not solely the Hammers’ quantity 29 who stood out at Molineux. Fullkrug made a big effect off the bench, with Woffenden explaining that he “should begin in opposition to Bournemouth”, who the East Londoners face subsequent day out.
The German had simply 16 touches within the 45 minutes he was on the pitch however created one huge probability, which Soucek did not capitalise on. He additionally hit the bar with the header and gained three aerial duels.
Having the presence of Fullkrug upfront actually helped Graham Potter’s facet, and he provided one thing that they lacked within the first half…
The West Ham star who struggled vs. Wolves
It has not been a straightforward begin to life in East London for Hammers loanee Ferguson. The striker, whose mum or dad membership is Brighton, has performed six instances up to now for his new facet however is but to search out the again of the web.
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He got here extremely near doing so in opposition to the Outdated Gold, although. Ferguson missed a golden probability within the 14th minute from six yards out after Jarrod Bowen squared him the ball.
He mistimed his run and went previous the ball, failing to transform right into a near-empty internet. That miss contributed to the three/10 match score he obtained from West Ham fan web site Claret and Hugh.
His stats from the sport present it was not simply that second that made it a tricky night time for Ferguson. He had 20 touches, dropping the ball eight instances, each 2.5 touches. He additionally missed one huge probability and did not win his sole aerial duel.
Ferguson vs. Fullkrug key stats in contrast | ||
|---|---|---|
Stat | Ferguson | Fullkrug |
Touches | 20 | 16 |
Variety of instances ball misplaced | 8 | 6 |
Pictures | 1 | 2 |
Massive possibilities created | 0 | 1 |
Massive possibilities missed | 0 | 1 |
Aerial duels gained | 0/1 | 3/5 |
Stats from Sofascore | ||
Ferguson’s night time, and certainly his latest type, was described as “unlucky” by The Athletic journalist Carl Anka. With their conflict in opposition to the high-flying Bournemouth up subsequent for Potter’s facet, it stays to be seen if Ferguson will maintain his place within the staff.
Fullkrug actually made his presence identified up entrance and created possibilities for others while being harmful in entrance of purpose himself.
The Hammers boss could effectively resolve to rotate the pair in opposition to Andoni Iraola’s facet, taking Ferguson out of the highlight a bit. Hopefully, the Republic of Eire worldwide can rediscover his finest type in entrance of purpose quickly sufficient.
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