Jimenez the real high flier
RAUL RETURNS IN STYLE
RAUL JIMENEZ proved it’s not how you get there but where you end up, as he won his battle of the transatlantic commuters with Michail Antonio.
Wolves striker Jimenez was the one on cloud nine here – scoring the only goal of the game – even though Antonio had outshone him when it came to returning home from international duty.
The West Ham striker had stylishly flown back from Jamaica in midweek on a private jet, booked by co-owner David Sullivan for a cool £100,000.
Presumably, Jimenez did not go cattle class from Mexico, but his scheduled flight seemed to leave him in better nick than his rival.
While Antonio was subdued, and put his only real opportunity high over the bar, Jimenez swept the ball home in glorious style on the hour mark.
It was enough to give Wolves their fifth victory in seven games and move them up to sixth in the table, while ending a Hammers surge that would have seen them go second had they won.
Instead, they suffered only their third defeat of the season as Jarrod Bowen followed Antonio by blasting over as they chased an equaliser.
As is so often the case, the international break stalled the momentum of a side who were flying before the World Cup qualifiers elbowed into centre stage.
But that should not detract from Wolves’ victory as their slick passing and fluid movement regularly left Hammers keeper Lukasz Fabianski exposed.
The margin would have been greater if Max Kilman had nailed a late chance or if Jimenez had not fluffed a first-half opportunity when he was put through on goal but duffed his dink.
As it was, the Mexican’s classy finish from 20 yards was the game’s decisive moment, a year on from the horrific head injury which threatened to end his career.
“It’s so important to stress that it was not just Raul’s goal that marked him out, but his hard work for the team,” said Wolves manager Bruno Lage. “That is
why I am so happy for him. He deserves every success he is getting at the moment.
“I told all the players to perform as they had in training and give the fans the good feeling they had given me. They did that.
“West Ham are a very strong side and I had challenged my team to show consistency, so we are very pleased.”
While Jimenez earned the praise of his boss, West Ham manager David Moyes admitted one goal in Antonio’s last eight games for the club suggests the striker is not at his best – despite the comforts of that luxury upgrade.
“To be at his very best, he needs to be in a really good condition – to be super-fit,” said Moyes (right). “We have tried to protect him and keep him fit for the Premier League games, and when he’s really on it, he’s a real handful. But he wasn’t today, although all centre-forwards go through spells when they are not scoring.”
West Ham will now have their mettle tested with a midweek trip to meet Rapid Vienna in the Europa League before a visit to Manchester City next Sunday.
The gathering force they had been with five wins and two draws in their previous seven games may have left them, but Moyes refused to use the international break as a crutch.
He added: “That’s not an excuse. It’s the same for every team. It was a tight game and we might have nicked a goal, but for
some reason we weren’t quite on it today.” The Hammers created openings around the buzzing energy of Bowen, but Wolves got on top and Hwang Hee-chan appealed for a penalty when his cross was blocked by the trailing arm of Ben Johnson.
Joao Moutinho’s long-range shot was tipped over by Fabianski, before Kurt Zouma found the net with a header that was rightly ruled out for clambering.
Wolves raised their tempo and scored when Daniel Podence picked out Jimenez and the striker struck a first-time shot into the corner.
With Ruben Neves controlling the midfield, and marginalising Declan Rice, Wolves
had just enough to repel late Hammers pressure as they clung to their lead.
It was a tight game and we might have nicked a goal, but for some reason we weren’t quite on it today