Respect the Point | Lopetegui Still Evolving

West Ham maintained their unbeaten away record, leaving it until the 95th minute to snatch a point at Craven Cottage.

Lopetegui opted for a defensive midfield, lining up Alvarez, Rodriguez, and Soucek, who replaced Lucas Paqueta. Rodriguez is still adjusting to the rigors of the Premier League, but his statistics for Real Betis last season were impressive. In 24 appearances, he averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, and 1.6 clearances per game, along with 43 passes per game at a completion rate of 85.9%.

In an otherwise unremarkable first half, it was Fulham who took the lead in the 24th minute when Raul Jimenez slotted home from close range. Fulham dominated the first 45 minutes and were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Adama Traore went down in the box, but both referee Tim Robinson and VAR ruled no penalty.

There have been a few raised eyebrows over Konstantinos Mavropanos keeping new signing Jean-Clair Todibo out of the team. Many expected the French international defender to partner Max Kilman, but he has barely kicked a ball so far. Mavropanos was under pressure from Andreas Pereira and Smith Rowe throughout the game, and it surely won’t be long before Todibo gets more game time.

Todibo is destined to start soon

At halftime, Lopetegui sought to change things up, bringing on Summerville and Lucas Paqueta to replace Antonio and Soucek. This injected some attacking intensity, with Bowen forcing a save from Fulham keeper Leno.

Bowen looked lively in a more advanced position, and he may be an option as a striker, allowing Summerville to start while Fullkrug recovers from a recent injury picked up during international duty. Antonio, meanwhile, has largely been ineffective so far.

Forgotten man rescues point for Hammers

However, it was the forgotten man, Danny Ings, who stole the headlines. Coming off the bench in the 82nd minute, he squeezed a low shot past Bernard Leno’s near post in stoppage time, assisted by Bowen.

Even then, West Ham rode their luck, as Calvin Bassey missed a chance in the dying seconds of the game.

Lopetegui will be pleased with the draw, and it should not be forgotten that in the same fixture last season, the Hammers suffered a 5-0 defeat. However, it’s worth noting that at this point last season, West Ham had six points more than the four they currently have.

West Ham remains a work in progress, but as Pep Guardiola said of his Spanish compatriot after City’s win at the London Stadium: “It’s only a matter of time, and he (Lopetegui) will get it right.”