Lady Luck played a crucial role in the latest match for West Ham, securing them a streaky 1-1 draw against Fulham. The manager, Julen Lopetegui, admitted that his team did not quite execute his tactics as planned. Fulham’s manager, Marco Silva, was left fuming after Tim Robinson failed to award his team a penalty early on in the game.

Silva expressed his frustration at his players for losing focus after a solid defensive performance in the second half. Emile Smith Rowe set up Raúl Jiménez for Fulham’s opener in the 23rd minute, but they were caught off guard in stoppage time. An unexpected throw from West Ham’s substitute, Vladimir Coufal, led to a swift equalizer from Danny Ings.

Lopetegui acknowledged that there is room for improvement in his team’s performance, particularly in possession. The transition from David Moyes to Lopetegui has not been seamless, with West Ham struggling to maintain their attacking flair. Lopetegui understands the need for improvement and cannot solely rely on Ings to deliver goals every week, especially since the striker was on the transfer market all summer.

“We had belief until the end, but we can do better and we have to do better,” Lopetegui said. “I am happy for the reaction and the spirit of the team until the end but we have to improve with the ball above all.” Silva’s frustration was evident as he believed his team deserved more from the game, but ultimately, luck favored the underperforming West Ham side.