AFC Wimbledon 1 West Ham 3 It was neither the occasion nor the performance that Manuel Pellegrini would have chosen for his first victory as West Ham United manger, but he will at least find comfort in the knowledge that this wobble at Wimbledon could easily have ended so much worse. On a night of fright, West Ham found themselves stymied by 10 combative League One players for 83 of the most uncomfortable minutes. Playing to the soundtrack of a man in a Womble costume banging the lid of a wheelie bin, West Ham’s collection of multi-million pound signings trailed and toiled before Angelo Ogbonna finally bobbled home a late winner. It was only then, with the lead finally secured, that they could relax. Until that point, West Ham had been harried and humbled by a robust side that played with hunger, desire and no shortage of organisation, despite losing Rod McDonald to a red card before even 20 minutes had passed. Neal Ardley, the Wimbledon manager, described McDonald’s dismissal — for fouls on Robert Snodgrass and Javier Hernandez — as “soft”, adding that the decision would have been different in League One, where Wimbledon sit 15th.<doc-sep>West Ham almost hit the buffers in the District Line Derby but were spared more humiliation by a Felipe Anderson-inspired fightback. Boss Manuel Pellegrini was heading for more frustration as League One minnows AFC Wimbledon stunned West Ham with a 77-second opener. And despite playing against ten men from the 18th minute - Dons defender Rod McDonald was shown two yellow cards - Pellegrini needed to turn to record signing Anderson to help turn the tie around. He showed his class after coming on at the break and set up Issa Diop's crucial equaliser before further goals from Angelo Ogbonna and Javier Hernandez broke Wimbledon hearts and resistance after their heroic backs-to-the-wall effort. (Image: REUTERS) (Image: EMPICS Sport) The comeback finally earned Pellegrini his first win as Hammers boss in a game given it's amusing nickname with the two teams from areas at opposite ends of the London Tube line. And victory might have taken a while to secure, come against ten-man third tier opposition and in the Carabao Cup but after starting his reign with three successive league defeats Pellegrini would not have been complaining.<doc-sep>W est Ham were made to come from a goal behind to seal victory over AFC Wimbledon and book their place in the third round of the EFL Cup. Joe Pigott's early header stunned the Hammers at Kingsmeadow but a red card shown to Rod McDonald before the break changed the game. Issa Diop's powerful effort after 63 minutes levelled the contest before his defensive partner Angelo Ogbonna put his side ahead 20 minutes later with Javier Hernandez adding a late third. Jack Rosser was pitchside for Standard Sport to cast an analytical eye over proceedings. In Pictures | AFC Wimbledon vs West Ham | 28/08/18 1 /12 In Pictures | AFC Wimbledon vs West Ham | 28/08/18 Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images West Ham United via Getty Images Getty Images So much for settling Just two weeks ago, Manuel Pellegrini spoke confidently about how the hard work being put in at West Ham’s Rush Green training ground would result in an attractive Hammers side in no time. Just then, what they have been doing is somewhat of a mystery. Nine changes is never going to help a side settle, however, this was far from a second string line-up: with four Premier League winner’s medals in the cabinets of those named in the starting XI. Furthermore, this was a team with enough experience and talent to impose themselves on a side two tiers below. The reality though was far from that. Pellegrini’s side looked nervy for the entire first half and disjointed throughout. With games against two of the top six and Everton to come over the next month or so, it seems some more of that hard work is in order. West Ham made to work for their win in Kingston. / Getty Images Welcome to England Summer signing Issa Diop was given an official welcome to English football with everything from a home crowd on his back to the pointed elbow of Wimbledon’s James Hanson. Aside from a brief retaliation to that first-half collision with the strongman, the 21-year-old, who joined from Toulouse for a fee of £22million, looked to be having a rough night at Wimbledon until, after watching those in front of him toil to create only half chances, the centre-half strolled to around 25 yards and ripped one into the bottom corner. There are worse ways to respond to the lower league treatment. Diop's first goal for the Hammers put the Hammers on course for victory. / West Ham United via Getty Images Horrific Hernandez If you wanted one moment to summarise Javier Hernandez’s time in east London, it came just before the hour-mark here in southwest London. After Andriy Yarmolenko, one of the more lively players in claret here at Kingsmeadow, had found his way to the byline the Ukrainian fizzed a low one straight into the path of the two time Premier League champion, who, six yards out met it at pace and, somehow, managed to clatter the ball into the advertising hoardings instead of the back of the net. He’s never hit his stride since joining from Bayer Leverkusen last summer and doesn’t look like doing so under new management. A late goal with Wimbledon chasing the game did little to polish this performance. Silver lining After another team performance which may well leave Manuel Pellegrini with more questions than answers, at least Andriy Yarmolenko made an encouraging start on his first start for the club. The Dons had made a point of wanting to unsettle foreign imports not accustomed to this brand of English football, but the former Borussia Dortmund man was more than up for the test, constantly looking to get at full-back Tyler Garratt, and succeeding more often than not.<doc-sep>
Manuel Pellegrini hinted on Saturday that he would use his squad depth as West Ham take on AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup second round on Tuesday evening. The Hammers received a bye in the first round while the Dons saw off Portsmouth 2-1 in round one to earn a tie against their Premier League opponents at Kingsmeadow tonight (Tuesday). Speaking to football.london after the defeat at the Emirates on Saturday, the Chilean manager said: "It does not depend on results, of course we have to play in the Cup on Tuesday where we have to make changes because we have a squad that must be able to play the complete year, not just a team that must play all the games." There are some players certainly pushing for some much-needed minutes having not got many so far this season but on the flip side, Pellegrini desperately needs a win having yet to record a competitive victory in charge of the Hammers so far. £17.5m summer signing Andriy Yarmolenko is one player certainly in contention for a longer run-out, having come off the bench for the three games so far in the Premier League, with Pellegrini admitting to us after the defeat to Arsenal that he needs to start integrating the Ukrainian into the lineup. (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Aaron Cresswell is another player that will be desperate for a run-out having yet to feature in the league this season. Cresswell's groin injury in pre-season restricted him to just 60 minutes of game time and that was in the final friendly against Angers in Austria. Arthur Masuaku has nailed down the left back spot now and played well against Arsenal and Cresswell will need some minutes to push him for competition. Another player looking for a start and who should get one could by transfer deadline day signing Lucas Perez, who has made two substitute appearances so far for his new club after leaving Arsenal. (Image: Henry Browne/Getty Images) Javier Hernandez is likely to get a start as well, especially if Pellegrini goes wit a more traditional 4-4-2 formation alongside Perez up front. Pedro Obiang could do with a run-out in defensive midfield, while Pablo Zabaleta should start at right back and Angelo Ogbonna at centre half after he was dropped for the Arsenal game. Youngsters Nathan Holland and Josh Cullen are likely to be included in the squad for the game against Wimbledon but they are probably set for the bench as Pellegrini does want to take the League Cup seriously this season. Here is how we think the Hammers could line up at Kingsmeadow: Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android. Available to download from the App Store and Google Play.