Lethal Lingard takes Hammers to fourth

Wolves 2 West Ham 3 

Declan Rice's injury has every Hammers' fan despondent before we go into this, but the team starts as if determined to defy adversity. Within two minutes Antonio has steamrollered his way past two defenders to have a powerful shot tipped on to the post by Rui Patricio. 

Wolves go close through Willian, but on six minutes the Irons take the lead with a superb goal from Jesse Lingard. Receiving the ball from Coufal in his own half he runs the length of the pitch to glide through four Wolves defenders. Antonio's run creates space and Lingard lifts it over the keeper. Brilliant.

Soon it's two as Messi Lingard produces a brilliant flick to bamboozle a defender near the corner flag and find Arthur Masuaku. The returning left-back's cross is cleverly slotted home by Fornals. "Wow," writes Fraser on WhatsApp, an unlikely convert to Moyes' Total Football. While Nigel points out that Lingard's goal has just been compared to Paolo Wanchope.

MESSI LINGARD

Antonio is terrorising the Wolves defence and gets through them again to fire into the side netting, only to pull up with a dodgy hamstring and go off. Just when it was all going so well.

But it's raining goals. Lingard makes another surging run to find substitute Bowen who finishes with alacrity into the bottom corner. Blimey. What a loan signing Lingard has been. Most players from MUFC are on their way down, but Jesse looks determined to prove Solksjaer wrong. This is the sort of performance we should have had from a £45 million signing like Haller. Lingard is unplayable at times and runs 12km in the game, which is impressive.

Mind you, after the Arsenal game it's typical that us West Ham fans find ourselves worrying at 3-0. Willian has a shot parried by Fabianski and Neto fires over when he should score. That's a warning, but just like Arsenal, Wolves pull a goal back before half-time. Traore makes a brilliant run from his own half, speeding past the Hammers defence to lay on a great cross for Dendoncker to head home. 

NERVY FINISH

It's a difficult second half, though the Hammers think they've scored a fourth when Bowen's shot is parried and Soucek hits home the rebound, only for it to be disallowed for handball. It gets very nervy when sub Fabio Silva gets behind Diop and Johnson to angle home a fine finish.

Wolves play a lot better in the second half, but thankfully the Hammers remain resolute. Let's have some praise for Mark Noble too. He's never going to be as mobile as Rice, but he looks much more at home in front of the defence and plays sensibly throughout allowing Soucek to get forward. A good professional performance. Johnson and Benrahma come on to aid the cause and, care of some holding the ball in the corner, WHU see the game out. We go fourth!

Could the Champions League breakfast at Nigel's gaff in Kew Gardens be back on? Well, we're surely not going to make the Champions League without Rice and probably Antonio. But this team doesn't know when to give up and is very much a collective. Strange things are happening and with eight games to go we can still dream of Bayern or at least FC Astra. Irons!