West Ham defeated Brentford 4-2 behind a hat-trick from Jarrod Bowen, relieving pressure on David Moyes.
After eight games without a win, which raised greater concerns about the manager’s future, the Hammers won their first game of 2024, with Bowen netting his first goals since before Christmas.
They had a miserable record in the Premier League, having played five games and lost five against Brentford, the only team out of the forty-three teams Moyes had faced that had never been defeated.
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Eventually, the damage was stopped when Brentford, who had already fallen farther behind in the relegation battle on Monday after Everton’s point deduction was lowered from ten to six, lost again. This was their 12th loss in 15 games since they triumphed over West Ham at home in November.
It’s anybody’s guess as to where this West Ham has spent the last two months. After just three minutes, they should have taken the lead when Tomas Soucek fired over from six yards out after James Ward-Prowse flicked on Vladimir Coufal’s cross.
However, they did advance a short while later when Ward-Prowse sent Emerson Palmieri down the left wing.
After taking a touch, the Italian defender pulled the ball back for Bowen, who fired a shot beyond Mark Flekken.
After going without a goal in seven Premier League games, Bowen suddenly had two in the opening seven minutes.
This time, 10 yards out, Coufal found the England prospect, who easily tapped past Flekken to double the lead.
However, Neal Maupay’s stealth goal in his fifth goal in as many starts against the Hammers in the 13th minute forced the Bees to react.
Before the half, West Ham attempted to add a third goal, but Soucek missed his strike in front of goal, Lucas Paqueta, who was back in action, volleyed wide, and Flekken stopped a drive from Mohammed Kudus.
Although the first half had not been very tense, Brentford’s best wind-up player, Maupay, appeared to say something that infuriated Hammers manager Kevin Nolan as they emerged from the tunnel. Bees defender Mathias Jorgensen kept the two apart.
Ivan Toney missed a chance to equalise as Keane Lewis-Potter’s tempting cross eluded him by a few inches.
Alphonse Areola, the home keeper, stopped a Frank Onyeka volley at his near post before the Hammers scored a spectacular fourth goal.
Emerson was 20 yards out when Kudus sent another cross, and the full-back fired a rocket past Flekken and into the top corner.
In stoppage time, Areola denied Toney, and late in the game, Bees replacement Yoane Wissa brought another goal back for West Ham, which held on for an almost as surprising as it was brilliant victory.
