BBC pundit Andy Hinchcliffe criticized West Ham United defender Konstantinos Mavropanos for a dangerous tackle on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in Monday’s match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Despite a crucial 2-1 victory at London Stadium, with goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen either side of a Matt Doherty strike, manager Julen Lopetegui faced scrutiny due to the team’s poor start to the season. A loss to Wolves would have further escalated the pressure on him.
Mavropanos’s late challenge on Bellegarde was concerning, with the Greek player making a reckless tackle that could have resulted in serious consequences for the Hammers. While VAR eventually cleared him of any wrongdoing, Hinchcliffe believes he was fortunate to escape punishment.
With their recent win breaking a streak of defeats against Arsenal and Leicester City, West Ham will be looking to maintain their momentum when they face Bournemouth next weekend. Although the victory against Wolves has eased some of the pressure on Lopetegui, the team still has a long way to go to improve their standing in the league.
Despite sitting in the lower half of the table, the Hammers have widened the gap to the relegation zone to nine points. While there is still work to be done to salvage the season, Lopetegui has gained some breathing room to resurrect their campaign.
