James Ward-Prowse scored directly from a corner as West Ham came from behind to win 2-1 at Wolves but only after Jarrod Bowen was injured, days before their Europa League clash against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. (More Football News)
Ward-Prowse took advantage of the w🍰ind whipping around Molineux to curl in a corner in the 84th minute after Lucas Paqueta’s 72nd-minute penalty had cancelled out a first-half spot-kick fr🎐om Pablo Sarabia in this Premier League contest.
Wolves captain Maximilian🐠 Kilman thought he had levelled in the ninth minute of stoppage time but his header was ruled out for offside after a VAR intervention.
The win puts🎉 West Ham level on points with sixth-placed Manchester United in the fight for Europa League places, but their immediate European ambitions may well be hurt after Bowen fell awkwardly at the start of the second half, with the trip to Leverkusen looming on Thursday night.
David Moyes’ side have now taken 19 points from losing positions this season, althou♛gh this was on✤ly West Ham’s third league win of 2024.
The Hammers could and should have taken the lead 11 miജnutes in through the industry of Bowen, who robbed Nelson Semedo on the byline and threaded a low ball through to Tomas Soucek yards from go🌟al. However, the Czech Republic international could not get the ball out of his feet.
It was a key moment as Wolves went on to dominate the rest of the half. Rayan Ait-Nouri, nominally a l🍸eft-back but a player who came into the game with three goals in four games after being shifted in a more attacking role, again took on the le✃ading role.
The Algerian went close when he ran almost the length of♌ the pitch to burst into the box, only for Kurt Zouma to slide in as he was about to pull the trigger, before Tommy Doyle brought a save out of veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, again deputising for the injured Alphonse Areola.
The pressure was building and paid off when Doyle’s pass from the left found another excellent run from Ait-Nouri, who was☂ felled by Emerson Palmieri in the box. After a VAR check, Sarabia stepped up to beat Fabianski with a spot-kick that went in off the in✅side of the right-hand post.
Moyes may well have had one eye on Thursday’s trip to Germany when leavinღg Michail Antonio on the bench but he took action on the break as the Jamaican came on to make his 300th appearance, joined by Ben Johnson as Soucek and Vladimir Coufal made way.
Minutes after the restart Bowen appeared to injure his h🌞ip after a challenge with Gomes, and moments later Wolves lost Ait-Nouri, who hobbled off in the 55th minute to be replaced by Matheus Cunha.
The changes seemed to do more to help West Ham as they finally exerted some pressuꦦre. Mohammed Kudus fired over before Ward-Prowse saw a♈ free-kick deflected wide.
The Hammers thought they were level in the 63rd minute when Emerson headed in, but Ton♊y Harrington generously signalled for a foul on Semedo in the build-up.
Wolves were creating their own problems,🧸 failing to clear the ball, and would be made to pay in the 72nd minute.
Gomes played the ball back to Toti in a tight space and West Ham whipped it away before Emerson’s cross was blo💞cked by the arm of Kilman, with Paque🔯ta dispatching the penalty after a stuttering run-up.
Johnson tested Sa with a volley and two minutes later, Ward-Prowse’s corner sailed over the goalkee🐟per and in.
Wolves thought they were level at the end but Harrington was sent to the check the screen by VAR Darren England aꦡnd Tawanda Chirewa was deemed to be blocking Fabianski as Kiᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚlman headed in the corner, to the fury of the home fans.
