A TOUGH BREAK FOR MOYES BOYS
Conway equaliser ruins Hammers’ mid-season plans as injuries pile up
BY
ALAN SMITH
1
1
DAVID MOYES sent out his strongest West Ham team in the hope of straightforward progress to the fourth round.
But the Hammers will have their mid-season break interrupted by a trip to Ashton Gate next week after Tommy Conway scored a fine equaliser for a committed and courageous Bristol City.
Of most concern to Hammers, though, was the sight of key men Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen departing injured and Konstantinos Mavropanos coming off after falling heavily on his side.
Having next weekend free of Premier League duty allowed Moyes to name his best XI.
And while the first-string’s class was immediately clear when Bowen netted his 14th goal of the campaign, a squad lacking depth and with lots of miles on the clock is beginning to creak. With Nayef Aguerd and Mohammed Kudus at the Africa Cup of Nations, the prospect of Bowen, Paqueta and Mavropanos being out for a prolonged spell is worrying.
Paqueta had provided the assist for Bowen’s fourth-minute goal, delivering a trademark lofted through-ball for the England international to control and finish ruthlessly.
It was inexcusable dawdling from the City defence to allow one of England’s most prolific goalscorers such time and space – and they were duly punished. Yet what was shaping up to be a simple task against Championship opposition soon began to turn pear-shaped as Paqueta went down holding the knee he injured during the warm-up against Arsenal on December 28.
Still, West Ham should have been two goals clear when temporarily down to 10 men, as they waited to bring on Divin Mubama. Bowen turned creator on this occasion, crossing for Pablo Fornals whose effort was kept out by Max O’leary.
The Robins goalkeeper was then alert to stop Cameron Pring from putting the ball in his own net after a botched attempt to block another Bowen shot, before getting down well to deny James Ward-prowse’s first-time effort.
But Bristol City began to play some enterprising football early in the second half and should have been level through Pring, who somehow missed the target with only Lukasz Fabianski to beat from seven yards.
The equaliser arrived with just over an hour on the clock. Conway’s finish was nerveless but Angelo Ogbonna, the veteran centre-half who has struggled when called upon throughout this season, was caught badly out of position.
Jason Knight claimed a loose ball and laid it off to Joe Williams. He spotted the gap behind Ogbonna and sent a well-executed pass to Conway, who had the time and space to convert past Fabianski.
West Ham did try to respond. Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma headed wide,
Bowen was denied by
O’leary, and Danny Ings sent the rebound into the side-netting.
At the other end Conway found the net again, briefly sending the 9,000 travelling Bristol City fans into raptures, but it was rightly ruled out for offside.
The final 10 minutes ticked by uneventfully until Bowen went down without contact in the fifth minute of added time. It was definitely not the finish
Moyes wanted.
WEST HAM:
BRISTOL CITY: O’leary 7,
Tanner 6, Vyner 6, Dickie 6, Pring 4, Williams 6, Gardner-hickman 5 (James 75), Bell 6 (Cornick 86),
Knight 6, Mehmeti 6 (Weimann 75), Conway 6 (Wells 81)