West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates after scoring against Wolves
West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates after scoring against Wolves © Adrian Dennis / AFP
In a showdown dubbed 'El Sackico' due to the intense scrutiny surrounding the futures of Lopetegui and O'Neil, it was the Hammers chief who earned some much-needed breathing space thanks to Bowen's moment of magic.
Bowen bagged a priceless winner in the second half at the London Stadium, just moments after Wolves defender Matt Doherty had cancelled out Tomas Soucek's opener.
West Ham's first win in three games lifted them nine points clear of the relegation zone, while second bottom Wolves remain four points adrift of safety after their 10th defeat in 15 league matches.
In the aftermath of last week's 3-1 loss at Leicester, Lopetegui was reported to have survived a board meeting about his position.
But the Spaniard, who replaced David Moyes in the close-season, must build on this valuable victory over the team he managed in the 2022-23 season before he can fully relax.
O'Neil, who played for West Ham from 2011 to 2013, heard Wolves fans call for his dismissal during their 4-0 thrashing at Everton on Wednesday.
Now he will anxiously await the verdict from the Wolves board on his future, which looks bleak after the latest blow to Wolves' survival hopes.
West Ham were rocked at the weekend by the news that their Jamaica striker Michail Antonio had been in a serious car crash that left them needing surgery on a lower limb fracture.
The 34-year-old had to be cut out of his Ferrari following the accident, with Lopetegui admitting it was a "miracle" he survived.
Hammers fans held a minute's applause for Antonio in the ninth minute to match his shirt number.
Composed Bowen
That emotional moment was in stark contrast to the turgid first half fare produced by two teams wracked with nerves and undermined by a chronic lack of quality in possession.
Bowen finally had the game's first genuine chance with a low strike that Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone blocked at his near post.
Wolves should have broken the deadlock when Matheus Cunha's pin-point pass sent Doherty racing away for a teasing cross that Joao Gomes slashed over from close-range.
It was a costly miss as Soucek put West Ham in front from a 54th minute corner, the unmarked Czech midfielder rising to loop his header over Johnstone from six yards.
Wolves have conceded eight league goals from corners this season, more than any other side.
O'Neil was fuming again after Wolves were controversially denied a penalty for Emerson's push on Goncalo Guedes.
Doherty gave O'Neil hope in the 69th minute when the defender met Rayan Ait-Nouri's cross with a half-volley that flashed past Lukasz Fabianski from 10 yards.
But Bowen restored West Ham's lead three minutes later as the England forward danced into the Wolves area before guiding a fine finish into the far corner.
On a night when Antonio was never far from West Ham's thoughts, Bowen celebrated his crucial winner by holding aloft his team-mate's shirt.
In a dramatic finale, Wolves had another penalty claim rejected when Konstantinos Mavropanos tripped Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, before Fabianski denied Mario Lemina to leave O'Neil facing the axe.
© 2024 AFP