Graham Potter would have seen the Carabao Cup as a way to relieve the tension at West Ham United. But if it is possible at this point, **Wolves**would pop their bubble, and emotions boiled over at the final whistle, leaving the boss to talk about a heated "exchange of views by people who care."
‘We’re all in pain’
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde glided into the box and drew a foul from Guido Rodriguez. Hwang Hee-chan rattled his penalty off the post, but it flew to Rodrigo Gomes, who put the hosts into the lead.
Yet, Potter was persistent in his belief that the players put on a performance that deserved more.
“I thought there were lots of positives. First-half, we were probably the better team, unlucky to go a goal down. The manner of the first goal I think sums up where we are at the moment. It hit the post and rebounds straight to them and goes in.
Two delicate deliveries turned the tide for the Hammers after the break. Kyle Walker-Peters found Tomas Soucek for the leveller before Jarrod Bowen, drifting to the right, picked out Lucas Paqueta.
“We had that idea of using Bowen on the wing in the first-half, but I think just Kyle and James grew into the game a little bit more. But is nice to see him influence the game. Fantastic cross for the goal. I was pleased for Kyle as well. I thought he did well.”
However, **Jørgen Strand Larsen**piled on the pressure for West Ham, coming off the bench to bag two goals. **Wolves**won their first game of the campaign while the Hammers have got no reprieve.
“The substitutions for them turned the game a bit. We weren’t able to hang on and it’s disappointing.”
The fallout was explosive at full time. Bowen went to applaud the away fans before a confrontation began. The manager might not be the man to achieve this target, but he called for unity in the club.
"We're all in pain so we need everybody to help. We need everybody's support. We need to push forward and on to the next match. The team's suffering at the moment, we all are, we're all hurting. I can assure you no-one's happy.”
He refused to place blame on either his talisman and club captain or the passionate supporters.
"Our supporters have been fantastic. They are hurting because of results we've had and Jarrod cares about the club and the team. It's just an exchange of views by people who care. Everyone is hurting, rightly so. We haven't had the results we'd like, but Jarrod has been a fantastic captain and servant.”