Manuel Pellegrini has admitted it was important to win back the trust of the players and the Fans. West Ham United registered their first competitive win under Pellegrini as they staged a late fightback to down Wimbledon 3-1 in the League Cup.
It was supposed to be a regular affair for the East Londoners but the Hammers were made to toil by the League One side. Wimbledon took a very early lead through Joe Pigott who rose high to reach Mitchell Pinnock’s corner.
Pellegrini made a number of changes to the side to test his squad depth but the result would surely give him some massive selection headache. Wimbledon displayed a solid defensive performance but an Issa Diop long ranger sunk them in the 63rd minute. The defender equalled the proceedings and Angelo Ogbonna and Javier Hernandez went on to ensure the lead with a goal apiece.
The gaffer said, “It was important because when you continue losing, you need to win, the mind of the players, they need to continue trusting, the fans the manager the players.
“We did our duty to eliminate Wimbledon but if we were the team eliminated it would have caused a lot of damage so we finished this game and now we will think about next one.”
