Lincoln City suffered a 6-0 home defeat to West Ham United after two early red cards left them playing with nine men for over an hour. The result at ProAmpac Stadium on Wednesday night leaves the Imps 18th in the Championship with 11 points from 10 games.
Tom Hamer was sent off for the hosts less than three minutes after kick-off. Conor McGrandles followed with a second dismissal on 23 minutes, reducing Lincoln to nine players before the half-hour mark. West Ham capitalised fully on their numerical advantage, scoring six times without reply.
Key moments
Dinos Mavropanos opened the scoring in the 45th minute, heading in from a Jarrod Bowen cross. With his team a goal and two men up, West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo sent on winger Edvin Austbø for Morato at half-time. The substitute scored almost immediately, netting West Ham's second just three minutes after the restart. Bowen added a third two minutes later, finishing a move created by Arne Engels.
Pablo Felipe made it 4-0 in the 75th minute, assisted by Austbø. Tomáš Souček then scored twice in the final eleven minutes, completing his double in the 89th minute to seal West Ham's biggest away league win since February 1923. The visitors moved up to third in the table with the victory, their second 6-0 win of the season.
Team details
Lincoln City manager named a starting XI including George Wickens in goal, with Sonny Bradley as captain and Deji Elerewe in defence. The early losses of Hamer and McGrandles forced defensive reshuffles, with Bayliss and Towler introduced at half-time. The team's recent form shows three consecutive losses, including a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United last weekend.
West Ham's lineup featured Hermansen in goal, with captain Jarrod Bowen and a midfield including Mohamadou Kanté. Their 29 goals from ten matches is the division's highest tally. You can review the full Championship standings to see how the result reshaped the promotion race.
The heavy loss deepens Lincoln's struggle near the bottom of the table, with a goal difference of minus ten after conceding 17 times. They face a quick turnaround with a key away fixture at Millwall on Saturday. The club's current injury list includes T. Darikwa, M. Melia, A. Coubis and R. Hackett-Fairchild, which you can monitor on our injuries page. Lincoln's next chance to respond comes at The Den in three days' time.
Read the full report at whufc.com
Head coach Tom Shaw said the 6-0 defeat to West Ham was a "brutal experience" but insisted it would not define his side. Shaw told the club that his players would grow from the "impossible situation" of playing with nine men for over an hour. Lincoln, who are 18th in the Championship with 11 points, face Millwall away on Saturday. The club's injury list includes T. Darikwa, M. Melia and R. Hackett-Fairchild.
