GRAHAM POTTER finds himself under increasing pressure after his side threw away a lead late on to tumble out of the EFL Cup at Wolves.
An opportunistic finish by Rodrigo Gomes was countered by headers from Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta, but a 115-second brace from in-demand forward Jorgen Strand Larsen sent the Hammers brutally crashing out.
GettyThe game was not the redemption Graham Potter would have hoped for[/caption]
AFPHis side have lost their opening three games of the season, including a 5-1 drubbing against Chelsea on Friday[/caption]
PAAlphonse Areola did himself no favours in net[/caption]
The early stages of the match played out as a cagey tug of war, as both sides experienced spells where they dominated possession.
Guido Rodriguez’ clumsy trailing leg on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde handed Wolves their first real chance of the game in the form of a penalty.
Hwang Hee-Chan‘s spot kick cannoned off the post, but the visitors’ joy was short-lived as Rodrigo Gomes got to the rebound first and snuck it in at the near post for the opener just before half-time.
West Ham came out rejuvenated after the break and put a renewed pressure on the Wolves defence from the off.
That pressure told as new signing Kyle Walker-Peters found himself a yard out wide and clipped a ball into the area for Soucek to power home past Sam Johnstone.
The home team responded with a spell of possession, and it seemed just a matter of time before one of their speculative efforts from range or dangerous corner deliveries found their way into the net.
But West Ham talisman Jarrod Bowen came through as he so often does, producing an inch-perfect ball into the area for Paqueta to dive at and flick into the net with his head.
ReutersPaqueta gave his side the lead with a flying header[/caption]
Wolves turned to the bench to try and claw themselves level, finding joy through in-demand forward Strand Larsen, who acted fastest to turn the ball home on the rebound in the 82nd minute.
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He was not satisfied with the one goal, and pushed his side into the lead barely two minutes later with a towering header to seal his side’s first win of the season.
AFPStrand Larsen’s magic off the bench changed the game for Wolves[/caption]
AFPThe forward has been linked with a move to Newcastle this window[/caption]
Conversely, West Ham are still hunting their opening win of the campaign, losing their last three matches by an aggregate score of 11-3.
A 3-0 opening day loss to newly-promoted Sunderland set off alarm bells in East London, before a 5-1 thrashing at home against Chelsea brought Potter under further scrutiny.
The tension is palpable at the club, encapsulated by captain Bowen’s actions following the final whistle, as he appeared to take issue with something said by a fan and had to be pulled away from a confrontation by his teammates.
Bowen subsequently issued an apology to fans on his Instagram, saying he needed to “set a better example” and telling fans: “You know how much I love you and this club.”
ReutersJarrod Bowen appeared incensed at something or someone in the crowd[/caption]
ReutersBowen had to be steered away from the advertising boards by his teammates[/caption]
It was an evening full of dramatic action in the Carabao Cup, with fellow East Londoners Charlton falling to a shock 3-1 defeat to League Two outfit Cambridge United, including a dramatic red card in injury time.
Wrexham secured a 92nd minute winner through Kieffer Moore in a 3-2 thriller against Preston, while League One Port Vale upset Championship big spenders Birmingham City away from home.
Brentford beat Premier League rivals Bournemouth 2-0, and Burnley‘s 91st minute winner against Derby kept the Prem upset free in normal time.
Leeds would break this perfect run on penalties, scoring NONE of their three attempts in their shoot-out against Sheffield Wednesday, including a missed penalty from debutant Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Sunderland followed the lead of their fellow newly-promoted Prem side, going out on penalties to League One outfit Huddersfield.
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