by It looked like a quiet evening for West Ham but it took a toll on him. The inconvenience of a replay is one thing, much deserved by a Bristol City side that grew in bravery and confidence, but David Moyes’ side ended the game bruised and battered. Seeing Jarrod Bowen on the field at full-time after receiving treatment for an ankle problem would have sent chills through his supporters and caused them great discomfort.
Moyes had selected the strongest team available to face the Robins, who are in 11th place in the Championship, and it looked like it had paid off when Bowen scored in the fourth minute. They looked like they were ready to turn the screw but nothing went right from there. By half-time Lucas Paquetá and Konstantinos Mavropanos had both gone off with injuries and Brazil’s loss in particular, a lack of quality in the reserves which was finally brought to the fore.
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“Great precision in the game in general,” Moyes said of Paquetá’s departure. The valid question was whether he should have played at all after missing Tuesday’s final against Brighton with a knee complaint. It was the same issue that forced him to retire soon after setting up Bowen’s opener but Moyes rejected any suggestion that his selection was a gamble.
“I don’t see it that way,” he said. “He trained yesterday, we all had the impression that things were good. But of course something must be bothering him.” In fairness, Moyes could hardly have won. It was a strong temptation at the first game to praise him for giving City and the FA Cup the respect they deserved. With Mavropanos leaving the center after a seemingly heavy slump, and with uncertainty over Bowen’s status bound for at least the short term, it remains to be seen whether he can show similar intent at Ashton Gate.
Bowen looked to be far away when Bowen played alongside Cameron Pring and controlled Paquetá’s lofted pass beautifully, slotted beyond Max O’Leary. He did so in front of nearly 9,000 visiting fans who must have felt, at that point, that they were set for a day out without consequences. If Pablo Fornals had scored soon after Paquetá’s layoff, rather than allowing the keeper to make a good save anyway, the contest would surely have been over.
“Pablo probably should have scored,” said Moyes. O’Leary also saved from James Ward-Prowse and prevented Pring’s own goal in the first half which, despite West Ham’s extensive level of control, was enough to leave City feeling rewarded within his reach.
Liam Manning, who was in charge of West Ham’s under-23s for four years before the start of the decade and became City’s head coach in November, is known for promoting a bold approach. At half time he reminded his players to take it. “You have to have that healthy level of arrogance when you come back and that was really the main message, to have that conviction,” he said.
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They certainly showed it, dominating for significant periods after the interval and missing a good chance when Pring met Jason Knight’s cross but it was all over. Perhaps that was the time of the Sliding Doors, people often find themselves in similar circumstances but City came again. Emerson Palmieri’s aimless ball into midfield summed up West Ham’s second-half bid, resulting in a sharp mix-up between Knight and Joe Williams. Striker Tommy Conway took a clever half-volley pass at the end, and arrowed a remarkable low finish beyond Lukasz Fabianski.
“Great quality moment,” Manning said. “All the work you’ve done can be taken away if you go backwards but I thought the response was fantastic.” They were unable to create a similar opening in a back-to-back final half-hour, but it was the kind of display to fuel a league campaign that will see them sit four points off the relegation playoffs.
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Moyes rolled the dice with a triple change and it should have been six when, after O’Leary blocked Divin Mubama, the ball fell to Danny Ings. But the striker, who is linked with a move away this month, fired into the side netting and West Ham were left to face the worst of the world.
A trip to Bristol midway through the winter break was not on Moyes’ agenda. “The amount of games we’ve played this season, it probably would have been better if we didn’t have him,” he said. “I don’t think replays at this stage of the FA Cup are really celebrated, I don’t think it’s something that’s really appreciated.” He got more than he wanted to avoid one.
