Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 West Ham United
Stateside Cup, EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Saturday 27 July 2024, 9.05pm EDT
West Ham United’s Stateside Cup challenge endured a stormy start as Wolverhampton Wanderers triumphed 3-1 in rain-hit Jacksonville.
The Hammers’ first of two Sunshine State Tour matches in Florida did not live up to its billing as a deluge of rain, thunder and lightning delayed kick-off for just over two hours at EverBank Stadium.
Incredibly, the waterlogged pitch was cleared, the storm abated and the game was belatedly able to take place in front of thousands of grateful American Hammers, and supporters who had flown into the United States from the UK and elsewhere.
West Ham made a decent start, but it was Wolves who took the lead 18 minutes in when a defensive slip allowed Norwegian Jørgen Strand Larsen to set up strike partner Matheus Cunha to drive low past Łukasz Fabiański with a first-time finish.
The Irons continued to play their possession-based game under new Head Coach Julen Lopetegui, but without creating much by way of clear-cut openings. Instead, both Aaron Cresswell and James Ward-Prowse fired free-kicks into the wall, and Maxwel Cornet sliced a volley wide.
That changed on 44 minutes when a sweeping move saw Danny Ings spin into space and find Mohammed Kudus wide on the right. The Ghanaian sped away from Rayan Aït-Nouri, ran past Toti and slammed an unstoppable right-foot shot past Dan Bentley and into the net.
Lopetegui made six half-time changes, including the introduction of former Wolves player Maximilian Kilman. It was one of the starters, Cornet, though, who worked Bentley in the early stages of the second half.
On 64 minutes, West Ham introduced for more substitutes, including goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, and the latter was called into action by Wolves replacement Tawanda Chirewa almost immediately, diving to his left to tip the ball around the post.
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil made no fewer than ten changes at the same time, and his replacements would ultimately settle the game in the Old Gold’s favour.
First, on 72 minutes, Gonçalo Guedes raced into the penalty area following a turnover and, although Nayef Aguerd got back well to make a sliding challenge, left winger Rodrigo Gomes had raced forward in support and shot high past Foderingham with his left foot.
Six minutes later, it was 3-1 and Gomes was again the goalscorer, timing his run and his header perfectly to power right-back Pedro Lima’s well-placed cross high into the net.
West Ham kept plugging and Callum Marshall saw a late goal ruled out as Michail Antonio was flagged offside in the buildup.
George Earthy and Gomes each saw shots blocked – the latter by Kilman – and Chirewa also fired a first-time shot high over the bar, but there would be no further goals.
Lopetegui was not happy with his team’s performance, despite the challenge circumstances around the game, and will demand a better all-round display – and better weather – when his Hammers take on Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in their second Stateside Cup fixture in Tampa on Saturday 3 August.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Bentley, Doherty (Lima 63), Mosquera (Dawson 63), Toti (S.Bueno 73), Ait-Nouri (H.Bueno 63), Lemina (Bellegarde 63), Cundle (Doyle 63), Sarabia (Guedes 63), Chiquinho (R.Gomes 63), Cunha (Hwang 30, Rawlings 78), Strand Larsen (Chirewa 63)
West Ham United: Fabiański (Foderingham 64), Coufal (Kodua HT, Casey 81), Mavropanos (Zouma HT), Aguerd (Earthy 75), Cresswell © (Emerson HT), Potts (Orford HT), Ward-Prowse (Irving 64), Souček (Kilman HT), Kudus (Marshall 64), Cornet (Antonio 64), Ings (Luis Guilherme HT)
Subs not used: Herrick (GK), Robinson, Kelly, Scarles
