The League Cup midweek fixtures have not been easy for both Wolverhampton and West Ham. Both have suffered crushing defeats in their opening two Premier League games and are in dire need of a foothold to hold on to and bounce back in time.
The two teams entered the match cautiously and boringly at Molineux Stadium.
Manager Vítor Pereira made eight changes to Wolves' starting line-up from last weekend's Premier League game, and it was the tactical adjustments that paid off as chances were created by increased pressure from the substitutes.
Jarrod Bowen gives West Ham a boost
The first few minutes of the match were rather dull as both teams' players were not very agile, with few notable combinations. It was not until the 25th minute that West Ham created a notable situation when Jarrod Bowen made a wall for Tomas Soucek to shoot hard, forcing Wolves goalkeeper Johnstone to show his talent in saving. Paqueta also had a dangerous shot but was blocked by goalkeeper Johnstone at the near post.
Ricardo Gomes (21) opened the scoring for the home team Wolverhampton
Tomas Soucek scored the equalizer
Wolves broke the deadlock late in the first half when Rodrigo Gomes converted a Hwang Hee-chan penalty that hit the post. However, West Ham responded quickly in the second half, with Tomas Soucek utilising Walker-Peters' cross just five minutes after the break to level the score at 1-1.
In the 63rd minute, Lucas Paqueta helped "The Hammers" take the lead with a clever finish after Jarrod Bowen's assist. The away team seemed to have the advantage, but Wolves' personnel changes came into play.
Lucas Paqueta (center) put West Ham 2-1 up
In the 72nd minute, Jorgen Strand Larsen was brought on and it only took 10 minutes to become a hero. In the 82nd minute, the Norwegian striker quickly fired home a rebound after his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Areola, leveling the score at 2-2. Just two minutes later, he completed his double with a powerful header from Jackson Tchatchoua's pass, sealing a 3-2 victory for Wolves.
Strand Larsen scored two goals in 3 minutes, Wolverhampton won emotionally
The match ended in disappointment for West Ham. In addition to the defeat, the London team also witnessed captain Jarrod Bowen lose his temper with the home crowd, almost climbing over the fence to "react" to the fans.
After the match, Bowen was forced to post an apology and even remove the captain's armband on his personal page, showing the pressure weighing on "The Hammers" after a shaky start.
Wolverhampton relieved after a series of unsatisfactory matches
Meanwhile, Wolves have more confidence and excitement. This victory not only brings coach Pereira and his team to the third round of the Carabao Cup, but Strand Larsen's performance also promises to help the "Wolves" attack have more effective plans in the road ahead.
Some notable results:
Bournemouth - Brentford: 0-2
Norwich - Southampton: 0-3
Burnley - Derby: 2-1
Sunderland - Huddersfield: 1-2
Source: https://nld.com.vn/wolverhampton-nguoc-dong-cam-xuc-dai-pha-west-ham-o-league-cup-196250827070901718.htm
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