NOBLE PRIZE Mark’s Captain Marvel
DAVID Moyes’ first act second time around was to restore Mr West Ham to his team.
And he reaped an instant dividend Hammers romped to their biggest win season in Moyes’ first game back in charge.
Mark Noble, left out by the Manuel Pellegrini in Saturday’s home defeat by Leicester, was back in the side and wearing the armband.
The skipper struck twice in the first half – with a fortunate deflected effort for his first since August – and then a nerveless self-won penalty.
There was also a spectacular strike from £45m French striker Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson weighed in with his first of the season after the interval.
Everything went West Ham’s way. Even a late red card shown by Graham Scott to Aaron Cresswell for a wild lunge at sub Ryan Fraser was controversially downgraded to a yellow.
With an eighth defeat in 10 seeing Bournemouth slide into the bottom three, a crippling injury list and forwards who can’t score, the outlook is bleak for Eddie Howe’s side.
Dominic Solanke, who has now gone 30 games in all competitions without scoring since a £17m move from Liverpool a year ago, hit the post after 79 minutes with the goal gaping.
But none of this worried Moyes who made four changes to the starting line-up from the home loss to Leicester that proved fatal for Manuel Pellegrini.
Noble, Angelo Ogbonna and Robert Snodgrass were recalled and Cresswell returned after suspension.
Howe also saw the need for a shake-up after a tame defeat at Brighton, with Simon Francis back as captain, and Jefferson Lerma, Callum Wilson and Lewis Cook all in the team.
West Ham woke up an eerily quiet stadium with the first goal of the new Moyes era after 17 minutes.
Anderson and the impressive Snodgrass cut open the Bournemouth defence on the right. And when the Scot pulled the ball back to the edge of the area Noble’s 20-yard shot took a big deflection off Lewis Cook to wrong-foot Aaron Ramsdale.
The Hammers doubled their lead eight minutes later. Snodgrass spotted Ryan Fredericks’ run down the right, and from his perfect cross Haller executed a magnificent bicycle kick to beat Ramsdale.
Noble was at it again after 33 minutes. Driving into the area again on the right he was clumsily challenged by Harry Wilson. Referee Scott pointed to the spot and Noble buried the penalty.
Home keeper Lukasz Fabianski had little to do in the first 45 minutes – but pulled off one smart save from Diego Rico on the stroke of half-time.
After the break Declan Rice spotted Anderson and the Brazilian did the rest in real style. as of the the (right)