West Ham United fell to a frustrating 1-0 defeat away from home against fellow Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers. The scoreline perhaps did not match the flow of the match, with chances falling for both teams at regular intervals.
Despite an early chance being squandered by Hammers striker Evan Ferguson, it was the Old Gold who took the lead at Molineux moments after Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made a fantastic save from Toti Gomes, whose header he tipped wide.
Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the only goal of the game at the 21-minute mark. He picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and, after shifting it onto his left foot, shot from range. The ball took a deflection off former Wolves defender Max Kilman on its way past Areola.
Both sides hit the woodwork, too, with Marshall Munetsi first striking the bar with a powerful shot and West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug heading onto the bar himself, with the rebound fired wide by the onrushing Emerson.
The Hammers did have a big chance to equalise late on through Tomas Soucek. The Czech midfielder received the ball off Fullkrug in the box, but chose to shoot from a narrow angle rather than return the ball to his teammate.
It was a disappointing day at the office for the Hammers, although there were a couple of players who performed well.
West Ham’s standout players vs. Wolves
Despite a poor result in the West Midlands, a couple of Hammers players did stand out amongst the rest. One of those was wing-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has been a revelation for the Hammers since joining from Manchester United in the summer.
Back in February, journalist Dan Woffenden described him as “simply outstanding” so far.
Against the Old Gold, he once again performed well in that wing-back role. As per Sofascore, Wan-Bissaka created one chance, completed 88% of his passes and won an impressive seven from seven tackles.
It was not only the Hammers’ number 29 who stood out at Molineux. Fullkrug made a big impact off the bench, with Woffenden explaining that he “must start against Bournemouth”, who the East Londoners face next time out.
The German had just 16 touches in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch but created one big chance, which Soucek failed to capitalise on. He also hit the bar with the header and won three aerial duels.
Having the presence of Fullkrug upfront certainly helped Graham Potter’s side, and he offered something that they lacked in the first half…
The West Ham star who struggled vs. Wolves
It has not been an easy start to life in East London for Hammers loanee Ferguson. The striker, whose parent club is Brighton, has played six times so far for his new side but is yet to find the back of the net.
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He came incredibly close to doing so against the Old Gold, though. Ferguson missed a golden chance in the 14th minute from six yards out after Jarrod Bowen squared him the ball.
He mistimed his run and went past the ball, failing to convert into a near-empty net. That miss contributed to the 3/10 match rating he received from West Ham fan website Claret and Hugh.
His stats from the game show it was not just that moment that made it a tough night for Ferguson. He had 20 touches, losing the ball eight times, every 2.5 touches. He also missed one big chance and failed to win his sole aerial duel.
Touches
20
16
Number of times ball lost
8
6
Shots
1
2
Big chances created
0
1
Big chances missed
0
1
Aerial duels won
0/1
3/5
Ferguson’s night, and indeed his recent form, was described as “unfortunate” by The Athletic journalist Carl Anka. With their clash against the high-flying Bournemouth up next for Potter’s side, it remains to be seen if Ferguson will keep his place in the team.
Fullkrug certainly made his presence known up front and created chances for others whilst being dangerous in front of goal himself.
The Hammers boss may well decide to rotate the pair against Andoni Iraola’s side, taking Ferguson out of the spotlight a bit. Hopefully, the Republic of Ireland international can rediscover his best form in front of goal soon enough.
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