Jesse Lingard scored his sixth goal for West Ham
West Ham captain Mark Noble says the Hammers have nothing to lose in the race to secure Champions League football after winning at Wolverhampton Wanderers put them in the Premier League’s top four.
After gaining a three-goal lead in a brilliant 40-minute opening run, the Hammers held off a Wolves setback to secure a win that put them over Chelsea with eight games left.
The only negative for David Moyes’ side was Mikhail Antonio’s early withdrawal due to injury, with the striker to be judged in the coming days.
But the Hammers showed real character after leaving to ensure victory, and Noble says the side are determined to fight for a top 4 result.
“We said two or three weeks ago that when we get to individual numbers in the remaining games we can be right because we have nothing to lose and we can try,” he said.
“Let’s hope it’s great [season]. We still have eight games to go and are fourth. We mix it with the top teams. “
Manchester United loaned midfielder Jesse Lingard was in inspired form as the Hammers tore the Wolves apart in the first half, scored a good solo goal and played a role in the other two as the guests 3-0 took the lead.
After running out of his own half for the opener, he showed off Arthur Masuaku with a brilliant shot down the line, whose low cross was first turned by Pablo Fornals before leading a quick counterattack to drive substitute Jarrod Bowen fend off in the third.
West Ham manager David Moyes says Jesse Lingard deserves praise for the wolves’ performance
Moyes’ side had lost a 3-0 lead to a 3-3 draw in their previous game against Arsenal and they were in danger of being repeated when Leander Dendoncker went home just before the break and substitute Fabio Silva scored a nice goal in the middle through the second half to reduce the deficit to one goal.
West Ham fell deep as they tried to hold onto their lean advantage, and although Wolves dominated the closing stages, they couldn’t find a way for the third time.
Moyes, like Noble, believes that there is no reason West Ham can’t stay in the battle for the top four.
“I hear experts talking about West Ham having a chance at the Champions League,” he said.
“Nobody would have imagined or mentioned that last season. Can we continue like this? We will try to compete with the big teams until the end.”
Lingard shines as the West Ham Eye Champions League
Few would have likely expected that Lingard, who had fallen out of shape and out of favor at Manchester United, would emerge as one of the January transfer window additions when he joined the Hammers.
But since the move, he has not only become an integral part of Moyes’ team, but also one of the best players in the Premier League.
He scored two goals on his West Ham debut and now has six in eight league games. His form brought him back to the English line-up at just the right time with the upcoming European Championship this summer.
Jesse Lingard ran out of his own half for an excellent solo goal
His final goal was undoubtedly a goal of the season contender as he picked up the ball halfway and slalomed past stunned Wolves players before clinching a clinical finish.
Since joining West Ham, only Harry Kane, nine, has been involved in as many goals as Lingard and his arrival has undoubtedly played a key role in ensuring the Hammers are very much talked about to land in the Champions League.
“I told him how well he played,” Moyes said while speaking to Lingard all day.
“I’m probably a manager who doesn’t say that very often, but he deserves it after his performance.”
Wolves went with too much to do
Nuno Espirito Santo says wolves had better start playing
Since their return to the Premier League, the Wolves have often found themselves battling for European places. However, a disappointing and inconsistent campaign this time around means that their campaign is stuttering towards a midfield.
Injuries certainly didn’t help Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as Raul Jimenez was left out with a fractured skull for most of the season while they were dealt another blow ahead of this game, with news that full-back Jonny is out for the remainder of the campaign with an ACL violation.
Jimenez’s absence was particularly telling as the Wolves fought for goals without him – only Burnley had scored fewer than the Wolves’ 29 in the Premier League prior to that game.
The three goals they conceded in the first half against West Ham ultimately left them too busy, but there were some positive results for the Wolves in the second half, nothing more than Fabio Silva’s performance.
The 18-year-old has only scored three goals this season but his last one was his best and a reminder of the exciting talent he possesses in making a great first touch to control an excellent Pedro Neto pass before he graduated clinically.
“When you don’t have the same players, everything is not the same and it becomes more difficult,” said Nuno.
“The reaction was good, but we started very badly. Conceding three goals against a top team like West Ham makes it very difficult to reverse the result.”
A first for West Ham – the statistics
- West Ham have won seven away games in the Premier League this season. This is the best return in a single campaign of the competition (also seven in 1993-94, 2005-06, and 2015-16).
- Wolves have lost six Premier League home games this season, most in a single campaign since their return to competition in 2018.
- This was West Ham’s first top division double against Wolves and the first in a league season since the second division from 1922 to 1923.
- West Ham scored more than 3 goals for the first time in the first half of Premier League games.
- Jesse Lingard has been involved in nine goals (six goals, three assists) in his eight Premier League games for West Ham – no player has been involved in more Premier League goals than Lingard since his debut with the Hammers in February.
- Only Leeds (six) have scored more goals from quick breaks this season than West Ham in the Premier League (five), while Jesse Lingard has scored more such goals this season than any other player (three).
- Leander Dendoncker’s goal for the Wolves was his first in the Premier League this season after his 28th attempt – before that game, he’d scored more shots without a goal than any other player this season.
- Adama Traore von den Wölfen has scored more shots without a goal this season than any other player in the Premier League (26). The Spaniard had two unsuccessful attempts tonight.
- Jarrod Bowen’s goal for West Ham came just two minutes and 34 seconds after falling off the bench – it was his seventh Premier League goal this season, with only Tomas Soucek scoring more for the Hammers this season (nine) .
What now?
The Wolves will be back in the Premier League on Friday April 9th (8:00 pm CET) when they travel to Fulham, while West Ham will host Leicester on Sunday April 11th (2:05 pm CET).
Constellations
Wolves
formation 4-2-3-1
11Rui Patrício
22ndNélson Semedo16Coady27Saïss3Ait-Nouri
32Dendoncker8thsnow
7thgrandson10Podence37Traore
12thDa Silva
- 11Rui Patrício
- 22ndNélson Semedo
- 16Coady
- 27Saïss
- 3Ait-NouriReplaced byHow farat the 90 ‘protocol
- 32Dendoncker
- 8thsnowBooked at 85 minutes
- 7thgrandson
- 10PodenceReplaced byFábio Silvaat the 45 ‘protocol
- 37Traore
- 12thDa SilvaReplaced byVitinhaat the 72 ‘protocol
replacement
- 2How far
- 17thFábio Silva
- 18thGibbs-White
- 20thVitinha
- 21Ruddy
- 42Richards
- 49Kilman
- 54Otas
- 75Brands
West Ham
formation 4-2-3-1
1Fabianski
5Coufal15thDawson23Diop3Cresswell
28Soucek16Noble
18thFornale11Lingard26thMasuaku
30thAntonio
- 1Fabianski
- 5Coufal
- 15thDawsonBooked at 4 minutes
- 23DiopBooked at 10 minutes
- 3Cresswell
- 28SoucekBooked at 90 minutes
- 16Noble
- 18thFornaleReplaced byBenrahmaat the 78 ‘protocol
- 11LingardBooked at 90 minutes
- 26thMasuakuReplaced byJohnsonat the 67 ‘protocol
- 30thAntonioReplaced byBowenat the 36 ‘protocol
replacement
- 4thBalbuena
- 9Benrahma
- 14thAlves
- 20thBowen
- 24Fredericks
- 25thMartin
- 31Johnson
- 34Rut
- 45Odubeko
Live text
End of the game, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, West Ham United 3.
The second half ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, West Ham United 3.
Corner of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The corner was created by Issa Diop.
Jesse Lingard (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt blocked. Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Prepared by Fabio Silva.
Tomas Soucek (West Ham United) receives a yellow card for a bad foul.
Vitinha (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tomas Soucek (West Ham United).
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ki-Jana Hoever replaces Rayan Aït-Nouri.
Foul by Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Mark Noble (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Jesse Lingard (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, West Ham United. Saïd Benrahma replaces Pablo Fornals.
Missed attempt. Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the center of the box is high and wide to the left.
Foul by Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Jesse Lingard (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Vitinha replaces Willian José.
Missed attempt. Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the center of the box is high and wide to the right.
