When Raul Jimenez put Wolverhampton Wanderers in front against West Ham United just around the hour mark, the only surprise was that the goal had not come sooner.
Where David Moyes’ side were relentless against Liverpool before the international break, they looked sluggish and clumsy at Molineux and the performance was much more damaging than the result in their bid to finish in the top four.
At times, it was the kind of display you’d see after a team would, say, qualify for a major final and then have to navigate a joyless, almost meaningless league fixture. It was all very ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’.
Perhaps the international break slowed their momentum but the risk is that this team, who aren’t exactly blessed with a host of players who can rely on a bank of experience of challenging towards the top of the league, start to view results against the bigger names as a cup final of sorts.
Days like the win over Liverpool are so emotional that it can be hard to match those levels again. The best teams (and the kind of teams Moyes wants his side to challenge), however, tend to drain themselves of it.
To give West Ham their credit, they did improve as Declan Rice - who was floored by a recent illness he’s only just recovered from - started to grow into the game in the second-half, though even that was a far-cry to the kind of performance they’ve been putting in of late.
The performance was a lot more concerning than the result.
