For David Moyes, a bitter evening on his old stomping ground ended with a sour taste. Not that he could have any complaints, with his West Ham side turning in a barely lukewarm performance that deservedly ended with Bristol City advancing to the FA Cup fourth round at their expense.
West Ham never truly recovered from Tommy Conway’s early strike after an error by Konstantinos Mavropanos and Saïd Benrahma’s straight red card, for a petulant kick, a few minutes into the second half ensured a forgettable trip and a tempestuous affair went from bad to worse.
This was an uncomfortable night for the West Ham manager that also exposed the apparent chasm between the quality of his missing star performers – Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Michail Antonio were among those absent – and those on the periphery. Simple passes went awry and Moyes went ballistic when Tomas Soucek was penalised for a foul throw as full time approached. No wonder Moyes wants to strengthen before the transfer deadline. By then it is quite feasible that none of West Ham’s front three here will still be at the club, with Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet and Benrahma all deemed dispensable assets.
Moyes, even with his squad noticeably short of ammunition, knew West Ham risked a bloody nose if they performed below their optimum. His bench contained four teenagers with a handful of appearances to their names and two goalkeepers. Moyes is among those in pictures around this smart stadium, with the Scotsman part of the Bristol City side that won the Freight Rover Trophy at Wembley in 1986. Before kick-off he dismissed the suggestion defeat would be a “complete upset” given City’s Championship status and their display in the reverse fixture. “I love coming back into Bristol, which I know well, and had really good times here, but not tonight,” Moyes said.
Things could hardly have started any worse for the visitors. With two minutes and 48 seconds gone, Conway was wheeling away in celebration and saluting the Lansdown Stand, named after the club’s longstanding Bristolian billionaire owner. It was a painful goal from a West Ham perspective and the travelling supporters stationed in the Atyeo Stand, behind Lukasz Fabianski’s goal in the first half, had the misfortune of the best view in the house.
The strike stemmed from a clearance by the Bristol City goalkeeper Max O’Leary, who went to ground to prevent Ings latching on to a through ball, but the catalyst was a mistake by Mavropanos. The defender undercooked a routine pass for Fabianski and Conway nipped in, composed himself and slotted into the far corner. West Ham will have been only too aware of his finishing given his superbly taken goal forced this replay. “Our front players have to be our best defenders,” said City’s head coach, Liam Manning. “We have seen what the club is capable of tonight, with the energy and the atmosphere.”
West Ham had chances to level in the first half but it was a disjointed display. Ings, in his fifth start of the season and first since November, swivelled on the edge of the area and dropped a shot wide and City defender Cam Pring was alert to deny Cornet inside the six-yard box. Cornet also sent an acrobatic shot wide after Emerson’s shot from distance pinballed off Kurt Zouma and into Soucek, who failed to make clean contact. Just before the interval Ross McCrorie, who shone on his full debut, sent a powerful header at Fabianski from a corner.
Could a rousing Moyes half-time team talk get West Ham back on track? Little more than three minutes into the second half, Benrahma’s stupidity left West Ham with an even bigger challenge, a one-goal deficit and now a one-man disadvantage to overcome. The flashpoint arrived after Emerson and George Tanner collided. Joe Williams flew into a challenge on Benrahma, to which the winger did not take kindly. Benrahma responded by seeking afters, thrusting his studs towards Williams, his left boot into his groin and right into his armpit. The referee, Darren England, got a handle on the wreckage and booked Williams before, once Benrahma rose from receiving medical treatment, sending the Algerian down the tunnel.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Aaron Cresswell then ended up with a booking apiece after a contretemps, in which both got to grips with the finer details of each other’s shirts. O’Leary was rarely troubled but pulled off an instinctive fingertip save to prevent Soucek volleying in Cornet’s cross midway through the second half. Zouma earlier wellied a hopeful volley into the West Ham support, much to the joy of the home fans. At the other end the substitute Nahki Wells, who replaced Conway, forced Fabianski into a stop with a stinging strike from the angle. At the final whistle supporters emptied the stadium to the sweet sound of the Wurzels’ Drink Up Thy Zider.
