West Ham draw to Phillips’ relief
KALVIN PHILLIPS is used to picking up short passes under pressure from his time with Manchester City, but not like this. Not when he is on the edge of his own box with nowhere to turn except into trouble. The danger was obvious when Kurt Zouma had the ball. Ryan Christie was breathing down the neck of Phillips, and Dominic Solanke was covering Alphonse Areola. Zouma played the ball into Phillips — the very definition of a hospital pass — and Bournemouth’s high press did its job. Phillips gave the ball away, Solanke scored, and the visitors had the lead after two minutes and 22 seconds. Blame Phillips if you want, but Zouma must also accept responsibility for the Manchester City loanee’s regrettable start to life with West Ham.
Phillips grew into the game from there as West Ham were at least able to avoid losing to that early error. They equalised in the 61st minute with James Ward-Prowse scoring a penalty after a trip by Lloyd Kelly on Mohammed Kudus, now back from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Phillips will soon shake off any rustiness, and Kudus is a welcome return, though this was an uninspiring display from West Ham overall. They were so short of options that David Moyes named four central midfielders in his lineup. Phillips was one of them, making his first Premier League start of the season.
Yet being stitched up by one of his new team-mates within three minutes was not supposed to be in the script. With West Ham being pinned back by Bournemouth’s trademark high press under Andoni Iraola, Zouma played a pass into Phillips instead of looking long. Big mistake.
Bournemouth stole the ball as a panicked Phillips tried to pass to Areola, and Solanke scored into the gaping goal, with VAR Simon Hooper confirming there was no offside to save West Ham.
Bournemouth should have doubled their lead after 35 minutes when West Ham’s defence was split open. It came from another hospital pass in trying to play out from the back, this time from Ben Johnson into Edson Alvarez. Bournemouth won the ball and broke forward, with a superb save from Areola denying Antoine Semenyo.
Jarrod Bowen came closest for West Ham in the first half when he tried to get a glancing header to Ward-Prowse’s cross, but Neto stopped it from sailing in. Otherwise, the hosts were tepid beyond belief and the supporters let them know their thoughts, booing at the half-time whistle.
WEST HAM (4-4-1-1): Areola 6; Johnson 6, Mavropanos 6, Zouma 5, Emerson 6; Kudus 6.5 (Cornet 90min), Phillips 5.5 (Ings 68, 6), Alvarez 6, Ward-Prowse 6.5; Soucek 6; Bowen 6. Scorer: Ward-Prowse 61 (pen). Booked: Bowen. Manager: David Moyes 5.5. BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Neto 6; Smith 6, Zabarnyi 6, Senesi 6, Kelly 5 (Kerkez 78); Cook 6, Christie 7; Semenyo 6 (Sinisterra 68, 6), Scott 6 (Kluivert 68, 6), Tavernier 6 (Faivre 90); SOLANKE 7.5. Scorer: Solanke 3. Booked: Christie, Cook, Faivre. Manager: Andoni Iraola 6.5. Referee: Tim Robinson 5. Attendance: Not provided.