From mundane beginnings this became one of the weekend’s better Cup ties, although David Moyes will not see it that way. He had picked his strongest available side, giving the competition and Bristol City the respect they deserved, and when Jarrod Bowen scored early on he seemed likely to be rewarded by a serene afternoon. Little went right from there, though, and West Ham may count a heavy cost. Lucas Paquetá and Konstantinos Mavropanos left the scene with first-half injuries and, perhaps most worryingly of all, Bowen pulled up at the full-time whistle and needed helping away. By then, in a second period largely dominated by the Championship team, Tommy Conway’s well taken equaliser had ensured hostilities will be resumed at Ashton Gate later this month. It was the least City, 11th in the Championship, merited from a performance that grew markedly in bravery and confidence.
It took just over four minutes for Moyes’ commitment to bear some fruit. This had, to everyone’s credit, felt like a proper occasion from the off: London Stadium was almost full and that owed plenty to the presence of almost 9,000 enthusiastic away fans. West Ham began as if keen to do the job properly and it was no huge surprise when their early pressure brought an opener.
Continue reading…From mundane beginnings this became one of the weekend’s better Cup ties, although David Moyes will not see it that way. He had picked his strongest available side, giving the competition and Bristol City the respect they deserved, and when Jarrod Bowen scored early on he seemed likely to be rewarded by a serene afternoon. Little went right from there, though, and West Ham may count a heavy cost. Lucas Paquetá and Konstantinos Mavropanos left the scene with first-half injuries and, perhaps most worryingly of all, Bowen pulled up at the full-time whistle and needed helping away. By then, in a second period largely dominated by the Championship team, Tommy Conway’s well taken equaliser had ensured hostilities will be resumed at Ashton Gate later this month. It was the least City, 11th in the Championship, merited from a performance that grew markedly in bravery and confidence.It took just over four minutes for Moyes’ commitment to bear some fruit. This had, to everyone’s credit, felt like a proper occasion from the off: London Stadium was almost full and that owed plenty to the presence of almost 9,000 enthusiastic away fans. West Ham began as if keen to do the job properly and it was no huge surprise when their early pressure brought an opener. Continue reading…
