West Ham pay tribute to Antonio as Wolverhampton sink
Forward undergoes surgery for broken leg; Lopetegui’s team kicks off crisis
The three points that West Ham won against Wolverhampton (2-1), in the 15th round of the Premier League , was what was of least interest to Julen Lopetegui’s team: the hammers paid tribute in the best way to Michail Antonio , who suffered a serious accident by car last Saturday that put a question mark over the future of his career.
With Nélson Semedo and Toti Gomes as starters, Wolverhampton almost only defended during the 1st half, still managing to keep it goalless until half-time. But the goals came in the 2nd half: a corner taken by Jarrod Bowen and Tomás Soucek (54′) heading very well at the far post, without giving Sam Johnstone (who took the starting place from José Sá ) a chance to save. The Czech then raised nine fingers, in homage to the number 9 that Michail Antonio wears on his shirt.
Matt Doherty (69′) levelled the game with a shot from the centre of the box, but Jarrod Bowen put the Hammers back in front with a great strike from the edge of the box.
After the final whistle, Mario Lemina and Jarrod Bowen had a disagreement, which led to a lot of shoving between various members of the two teams. These two players ended up receiving a yellow card.
Gonçalo Guedes and Rodrigo Gomes still entered the field in the 2nd half, but did not prevent Wolves from recording their tenth defeat in the Premier League , which puts coach Gary O’Neil under increasing pressure. The team is in second-to-last place with nine points. The Londoners have 18 points, in 14th place.
