As former West Ham United striker Jermain Defoe watched on from the Sky Sports studios, Jarrod Bowen’s winner in the 2-1 victory over Wolves was one he’d have been proud to call his own.
Is there a better footballer outside of the proverbial Premier League’s ‘big six’?
The likes of Ebere Eze and Bruno Guimaraes may have something to say about that, of course, but this was the sort of performance which highlighted just how fortunate West Ham are to still have an attacker of Jarrod Bowen’s match-changing, verging-on-elite talents at their disposal.
Bowen was outstanding in the 2-0 win at Newcastle at the end of November.
And, as West Ham secured only their fifth top-flight win of the Julen Lopetegui era, a familiar face returned to the scoresheet to push Gary O’Neil further towards the abyss on a night labelled ‘El Sacicko’ due to the remarkable pressure on the shoulders of the two under-fire bosses.
TBR understands that Sergio Conceicao is keen on Lopetegui’s West Ham job. Meanwhile, Wolves saw that London Stadium trip as O’Neil’s last-chance saloon.
Bowen, rather than shifting the ball immediately onto his left foot and shooting, instead jinked back onto his right, past a bamboozled Goncalo Guedes, before opening up his body and curling into the far corner.
And, in Defoe’s words, Lopetegui is just lucky that he has a few players capable of pulling rabbits out of hats as the former Real Madrid and Spain boss picks up another win which could keep him in the job for a while longer.
Jermaine Defoe hails Jarrod Bowen as West Ham beat Wolves
“You just fancy [Bowen] to make a yard and get his shot off, and anything that hits the hard netting its hard for the goalkeeper to save,” Defoe said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football coverage, while also praising the impact of Mohammed Kudus and Crysencio Summerville in a lively, creative Hammers front three.
“[The win] gives them a bit of breathing space. The result is the most important thing. And, when you have got individuals like Kudus and Bowen, you have got a chance. They can create something out of nothing.
“I [also] think Summerville has been really sharp.”
The result lifts West Ham to within one point of Manchester United in the Premier League table. Another three points away at Southampton on Boxing Day, meanwhile, will extend the gap between themselves an one of the division’s relegation-zone mired outfits.
“It was a very good goal for Jarrod,” Lopetegui said of the England international’s 72nd minute strike. “And, afterwards, I think we handled the match well. In the end, I think we achieved three points that we deserved.”
On a night where the Hammers players paid tribute to Michail Antonio following his car crash on Saturday – Bowen dedicating his late strike to his long-serving number nine – Max Kilman was outstanding against his former club, Carlos Soler continued his fine recent form, and Tomas Soucek added another set-piece goal to his hefty collection.
Bowen pleased with ‘huge result’ in Premier League relegation battle
“I’m really happy with the goal,” Bowen smiled at full time. “As soon as I got in the position, there was only really one thought in my mind. With everything that’s happened in the last 48 to 72 hours, it was just a great feeling.
“It was goalless at half-time, and I think we were just lacking a bit of energy. We said that to each other at half-time, and we’d also identified set-pieces as an area to put pressure on them.
“We made a little tweak at half-time, so that I would take the first corner on that side, and it came off with Tomas scoring. So it was great to see us make the most of those opportunities and get over the line when it mattered.
“It’s a huge result. We knew tonight was a must-win really, coming off the back of two defeats. And we just had to get the three points in whatever way we could.”
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