West Ham United 1-1 Bristol City: Tommy Conway earns Robins FA Cup replay
Championship side Bristol City earned a deserved draw against West Ham at London Stadium to force an FA Cup third-round replay.
The Hammers wasted little time in moving through the gears against their Championship opponents, opening the scoring with just four minutes on the clock.
Jarrod Bowen continued his red-hot form by scoring his 14th goal of the campaign after rounding goalkeeper Max O’Leary and squeezing the ball under the body of defender Cameron Pring on the line.
But Bristol City, who boast the joint-fourth best defensive record in the Championship, refused to allow that early setback to define the manner in which the game would unfold, showing bravery on the ball and unity in defense to find a foothold in the tie .
Sam Bell and Rob Dickie both had opportunities to level for the Robins but Lukasz Fabianski stood firm on both opportunities to keep West Ham’s lead intact.
The Robins returned for the second period with intent, playing the majority of their football in West Ham’s half of the field, and their willingness to commit to the attack paid dividends when academy graduate Tommy Conway found space behind the Hammers’ backline before drilling beyond Fabianski .
Clear-cut chances for the visitors were few and far between after they drew level and they had to hang on in the closing stages as Danny Ings and Divin Mubama both went close.
Conway told BBC Match of the Day: “To come to a Premier League team and take a draw is something we would have taken before the game so we’re happy to force the replay.
“The bounce back we had was good. It could have been easy to crumble and go two or three down.
“Every time I score for this club it always means the world to me, especially in front of my family. I could see them when I was celebrating.
“Moments like that rank really highly. It’s a result where we can go again and hopefully win the second leg.”
Robins good for the draw
It could have been a rocky afternoon for the Robins when O’Leary was left to pick the ball out of his own net so early on.
David Moyes’ team selection indicated that he clearly wanted to see his side through to the fourth round of the competition but that plan backfired.
Not only did they look tired at times, struggling to settle into a rhythm as Bristol City pressed and pushed to win possession, but Moyes has also been left counting the cost of three injuries.
Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta and Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos were both substituted in the first half with issues, while goalscorer Bowen finished the game but required treatment at the full-time whistle before subsequently limping down the tunnel.
With ambitions to maintain a push for a European berth in the Premier League and a last-16 tie to come in the Europa League, the last thing Moyes wanted was a replay in the FA Cup.
But Bristol City were not reading off the same script and deserve a huge amount of credit for sticking to their guns in the face of adversity.
Liam Manning is still settling into the hot seat with Bristol City, taking charge in Novemberbut the players appear to be taking well to his change in style.
There was no fear from the second-tier side, who were backed by a 9,000-strong support at London Stadium, as they went toe-to-toe with West Ham, especially in the second half, and even had chances to come away with the win.
Ultimately, it was not to be the big upset they hoped for but Ashton Gate will be rocking when three-time FA Cup winners West Ham make the trip for the replay on the week starting Monday, 15 January.
Line-ups
West Ham
Training 4-2-3-1
- 1Fabianski
- 5CoufalSubstituted forJohnsonat 74′minutes
- 15MavropanosSubstituted forOgbonnaat 39′minutes
- 4Zouma
- 33Emerson
- 28Soucek
- 19AlvarezBooked at 45minsSubstituted forIngsat 75′minutes
- 20Bowen
- 7Ward ProwseBooked at 53mins
- 8FornalsSubstituted forHornat 75′minutes
- 10Lucas PaquetáSubstituted forMubamaat 14′minutes
Substitutes
- 2Johnson
- 3Cresswell
- 17Horn
- 18Ings
- 21Ogbonna
- 22Benrahma
- 23Areola
- 32Coventry
- 45Mubama
Bristol City
Training 4-2-3-1
- 1O’Leary
- 19Tanner
- 26Vyner
- 16Dickie
- 3PringBooked at 60mins
- 8WilliamsBooked at 33mins
- 22Gardner-HickmanSubstituted forJamesat 75′minutes
- 20BellSubstituted forCornickat 86′minutes
- 12Knight
- 11MehmetiSubstituted forWeimannat 76′minutes
- 15ConwayBooked at 35minsSubstituted forWellsat 81′minutes
Substitutes
- 6James
- 9Cornick
- 10King
- 14Weimann
- 21Wells
- 23Bajic
- 27Knight Lebel
- 30Nelson
Live Text
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Match ends, West Ham United 1, Bristol City 1.
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Second Half ends, West Ham United 1, Bristol City 1.
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Attempt missed. Zak Vyner (Bristol City) header from the center of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Joe Williams following a set piece situation.
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Hand ball by Tomás Soucek (West Ham United).
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Offside, West Ham United. Danny Ings is caught offside.
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Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Harry Cornick.
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Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by George Tanner.
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Attempt blocked. Divin Mubama (West Ham United) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Danny Ings.
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Substitution, Bristol City. Harry Cornick replaces Sam Bell.
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Offside, Bristol City. Nahki Wells is caught offside.
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Attempt missed. Danny Ings (West Ham United) left footed shot from the center of the box is closed, but misses to the right following a corner.
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Attempt saved. Divin Mubama (West Ham United) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the center of the goal. Assisted by Jarrod Bowen.
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Attempt missed. Tomás Soucek (West Ham United) header from the center of the box misses to the right. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Cameron Pring.
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Substitution, Bristol City. Nahki Wells replaces Tommy Conway.
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Offside, Bristol City. Tommy Conway is caught offside.
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Substitution, Bristol City. Andreas Weimann replaces Anis Mehmeti.
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Substitution, Bristol City. Matty James replaces Taylor Gardner-Hickman.
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Substitution, West Ham United. Maxwel Cornet replaces Pablo Fornals.
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Substitution, West Ham United. Danny Ings replaces Edson Álvarez.