Bowen’s treble top!
West Ham forward hits hat-trick to ease pressure on Moyes
DAVID MOYES will hope this was a sign of things to come for Jarrod Bowen. So, too, will Gareth Southgate. The forward had gone five games without a goal ahead of this encounter — a barren spell that has coincided with a sequence of eight without victory for West Ham, which has left the future of Moyes shrouded in uncertainty.
But Bowen is back, his hat-trick here at the London Stadium last night easing the pressure on his under-fire boss.
How grateful Moyes must be that Bowen answered his call when the Scot needed him most. And you can bet your bottom dollar that England boss Southgate has taken notice, too.
It’s now 17 for the season for Bowen. That’s an impressive return — one that should propel the 27-year-old to his first senior international tournament.
Southgate names his squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium on March 14 — his last before selecting England’s final 23-man contingent for Euro 2024.
Having missed out on England’s World Cup squad in 2022, surely Bowen is a serious contender to make the plane to Germany.
His exertions here helped to placate sections of a disillusioned fanbase that you feared may turn on Moyes if the game had not swung in their favour.
The prospect of toxicity at the London Stadium was tangible. The protests against Moyes from supporters have been an uncomfortable watch.
This night, however, belonged to Moyes. And Bowen, of course. If
there were ever an advert for not turning up late to a football match, this was it. Three goals in the opening 13 minutes and an on-field inquest.
West Ham raced into a two-goal lead inside seven minutes. Both were scored by the electric Bowen and both came from Brentford losing possession in midfield.
Bowen’s first arrived in the fifth minute, a powerful effort rifled past Mark Flekken’s near post following Emerson’s cut-back.
His second, two minutes later, was a near carbon copy, but this time Vladimir Coufal squared from the opposite flank after Zanka lost the ball. As the crowd erupted, Brentford skipper Christian Norgaard ushered in his colleagues for a debrief. Amid the chaos, Ivan Toney gestured for his team-mates to calm down.
Needless to say, there was nothing calm about this situation for Brentford, whose fears of being dragged into a relegation fight were not helped by their atrocious start — nor by news of Everton’s points deduction being reduced from 10 to six earlier in the day.
Moyes, stoney-faced, gave a brief thumbs-up before refolding his arms. There has not been much for him to smile about in recent weeks but at last here was some respite. Surely he could crack a smile after this blistering start?
Perhaps he knew what was coming as Brentford responded. Neal Maupay’s finish beyond Alphonse Areola was clinical but his goal owed much to Keane Lewis-Potter’s defence-splitting pass. For West Ham, it was another reminder of the defensive frailties that have dogged their season; only Newcastle had conceded more goals in the Premier League’s top 10 heading into this clash.
Eventually the encounter found its equilibrium, before Lucas Paqueta fired narrowly wide from Mohammed Kudus’ deep cross.
Paqueta’s return to fitness is a timely boost for the Hammers, whose season has unraveled without their brilliant Brazilian.
It will take a while for the 26-year-old to get fully up to speed after two months out with a knee injury and there were clear signs of ring rust on his first appearance since the start of January. Even so,
West Ham were clearly benefitting from Paqueta’s presence here.
The second half got under way in controversial circumstances as Hammers assistant coach Kevin Nolan and Brentford defender Zanka emerged from the tunnel in a heated confrontation.
Brentford, who lost centre back Ben Mee to injury in the 61st minute, looked likely to score next. But the Bees had no answer to Bowen’s brilliance, the forward’s third arriving in the 63rd minute — a close-range header from Kudus’ cross after some dreadful Brentford marking.
The bad blood between both teams in the technical areas continued. Once again Nolan appeared to be at the centre of it all, visibly irate as Frank ordered his Bees colleagues to calm down.
But West Ham — and Nolan — had the last laugh as Moyes’ men scored a fourth, when Emerson’s pummelling drive from outside the area flew past Flekken into the top corner.
Yoane Wissa scored a late second for Brentford, but their game was up by that point.