Match Report | Souček and Bowen goals tame Wolves | West Ham United F.C.

West Ham United secured a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Premier League match held at the London Stadium on Monday, December 9, 2024, at 8 PM GMT.

On a night when West Ham United rallied behind Michail Antonio, it was two of his longtime teammates who led the team to an important victory in the Premier League against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

As Antonio recuperates in the hospital after undergoing surgery for a broken leg sustained in a car accident on Saturday, his teammates in the UEFA Europa Conference League, Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen, led the team to a 2-1 win at London Stadium. Matt Doherty managed to score for Wolves, but the Hammers demonstrated the determination and spirit needed to claim all three points.

After scoring in the second half, both players honored Antonio with their celebrations. Meanwhile, the entire team prepared and entered the field wearing shirts featuring the striker's name and number. The fans in the stands also showed their support, chanting his name repeatedly.

As the game kicked off, the first half turned out to be another frustrating experience for West Ham, similar to their previous match against Leicester City. Although they didn’t control the game to the same extent as at King Power Stadium, the Irons still managed to make 12 attempts on goal, earned nine corners, and held more than 57% of the possession. However, they went into halftime empty-handed, having nothing to show for their hard work.

Meanwhile, they held their ground, even though João Gomes really should have scored after receiving a bending cross from Doherty from the right side, just after the 30-minute mark. Instead of finding the net, the Brazilian shot wide from just six yards out.

Earlier, Wolves captain Mario Lemina shot over the bar, and Gomes aimed directly at Łukasz Fabiański, while Cunha challenged the Polish keeper at his near post. After Gomes’s significant miss, both Mavropanos and Maximilian Kilman blocked attempts from Rayan Aït-Nouri and Nélson Semedo.

West Ham created more chances throughout the match, but most of them were not very straightforward opportunities. However, Sam Johnstone managed to make three crucial saves.

Mavropanos had a powerful shot stopped by Toti, while Kilman's header went right into another Wolves player. Bowen's low effort was denied by his fellow England teammate Johnstone, and Carlos Soler's shot was thwarted by a sliding tackle from Aït-Nouri.

Mohammed Kudus nearly surprised the Wolves goalkeeper with a curling shot, and Crysencio Summerville's corner kick also posed a threat. Then, Mavropanos lost his footing at a crucial time and sent the ball over the bar. To cap it off, Summerville headed Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s deep cross just wide of the far post.

The frustration eased nine minutes into the second half when West Ham earned their tenth corner, thanks to Wan-Bissaka's efforts against Toti. This corner directly set up the home team’s first goal. Bowen's cross, delivered past the far post, was headed back into the chaos in front of the goal by Souček, finding its way under the crossbar.

Just six minutes later, Kudus scored decisively from a pass by Bowen. However, after a review by VAR official Andrew Madley, the goal was disallowed due to an offside call against the Ghanaian player.

Gary O'Neil responded by altering his lineup with two substitutions. Soon after, one of the substitutes, Gonçalo Guedes, was brought down after a tackle from Emerson. However, referee John Brooks dismissed the Wolves' requests for a penalty, and VAR official Madley chose not to suggest that the referee review the situation on the field.

Just a minute later, the Wolves equalized when Aït-Nouri sent a cross from the left side. Doherty made a sliding effort and shot low past Fabiański with his left foot.

Speaking of left feet, just three minutes into the game, Bowen received the ball from Kudus at the edge of the penalty area, maneuvered inside and sent a curling shot past Johnstone into the bottom left corner of the goal.

After taking the lead for the second time, West Ham seemed to have understood the importance of maintaining their intensity. However, Wolves refused to back down, with Guedes and Nélson Semedo putting Fabiański to the test with some impressive saves. Substitute Tommy Doyle then shot over the bar. A VAR review by Madley also determined that Wolves wouldn’t receive a penalty for Mavropanos’s tackle on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, and a goal from Kudus at the other end was ruled out for offside by the assistant referee.

Bellegarde squandered two opportunities in the closing moments, allowing West Ham to finally relax when Brooks blew the final whistle. While it wasn't the most graceful victory, it was a crucial one for Julen Lopetegui's squad, bringing their total to 18 points, nine points clear of their rivals and Ipswich Town, who are currently in the relegation zone.

West Ham United lineup: Fabiański; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson (replaced by Cresswell in the 88th minute); Soler (substituted for Paquetá in the 64th minute); Souček; Álvarez (came off for Todibo in the 88th minute); Kudus (replaced by Rodríguez in the 87th minute); Summerville (substituted for Ings in the 73rd minute); Bowen (captain). Players on the bench: Areola (goalkeeper), Coufal, Luis Guilherme, and Füllkrug.

Goals were scored by Souček in the 54th minute and Bowen in the 72nd minute.

Yellow Cards: Emerson, Soler, Fabiański, Rodríguez, Bowen.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' lineup included: Johnstone, Doherty, Semedo, Toti, Bueno, Aït-Nouri, Lemina ©, André (substituted by Bellegarde in the 62nd minute), J. Gomes (replaced by Doyle in the 78th minute), Cunha, and Strand Larsen (substituted by Guedes in the 62nd minute). The following players were on the bench but did not play: Bentley (goalkeeper), Dawson, R. Gomes, Hwang, Forbs, and Lima.

Yellow Cards Issued: Cunha, Doherty, Gomes, Lemina