Hammers Make Carabao Cup Despite Early Scare

After three consecutive Premier League defeats, in their opening three games of the season, the Hammers needed a morale-boosting win in the Carabao Cup tie, away to AFC Wimbledon.

Thankfully, the Hammers achieved just that but it came after a scare that looked as if West Ham could become giant-killing victims.

In front of a sparse crowd, AFC Wimbledon took the lead in the second minute when poor marking from the Hammers defence saw Joe Pigott rise to head home a corner from Mitchell Pinnock.

The Hammers struggled to get on level terms even though AFC Wimbledon were reduced to ten-men when Rob McDonald saw red after two yellow card offences.

In fact, the Hammers didn’t draw level until the sixty-third minute when Issa Diop netted his first goal for the club.

Although all the pressure was coming from the Hammers, the travelling support had to wait until the 83rd minute to edge ahead when Ogbonna was on hand to head home a corner taken by Robert Snodgrass.

AFC Wimbledon pushed for the goal that would have taken the tie to a penalty shoot-out but any fears of that scenario materialising were quashed when, in the ninety-second minute, Javier Hernandez took the ball around the AFC Wimbledon keeper to give West Ham a 3-1 victory.

AFC Wimbledon				West Ham United
Pigott (2)				Diop (63), Ogbanna (83), Hernandez (92)
King				Adrian
Sibbock				Zabaleta
Oshilaja				Diop
McDonald				Ogbanna
Garratt				Cresswell
Wagstaff				Obiang			45
Trotter				Rice
Hartigan				Yarmolenko			90
Pinnock			68	Snodgrass
Hanson			79	Pérez			81
Pigott			26	Hernández
Substitutes
Purrington				Fabianski
Nightingale				Balbuena
Thomas				Felipe Anderson			45
Appiah			79	Antonio			81
Barcham				Masuaku			90
McDonnell				Cullen
Wordsworth			68	Holland

Game Statistics
2	Goal attempts	28
1	On Target	11
2	Corners	9
8	Fouls	8
1	Yellow Cards	1
1	Red Cards	0
19	%	81