Jarrod Bowen insists West Ham United will be looking to produce a strong response to their Easter Saturday disappointment in Newcastle, as the team’s attention quickly turns to Tuesday night’s Tottenham Hotspur clash.
The Hammers fell to a dramatic 4-3 defeat at St James’ Park, having led 3-1 with less than quarter-of-an-hour to go thanks to goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Bowen.
A smart finish from West Ham’s No20 early in the second half marked his 15th Premier League goal this season, and 19th in all competitions, but a second Alexander Isak penalty and a late Harvey Barnes brace ensured it didn’t help secure any share of the spoils.
Still among the chase for European qualification, the Irons next welcome local rivals Spurs to London Stadium for a midweek clash under the lights, and Bowen is clear his side need to right the wrongs of their most recent outing.
“We’re all very disappointed, because we felt we were in control,” the 27-year-old said. “But we’ve just got to stand tall and put it behind us, because we’re back at it in just a few days’ time.
“When you’re 3-1 up like we were, you just can’t end up losing 4-3. We shot ourselves in the foot and gave away that lead, which is hard to take, but we have to analyse what went wrong and learn from it ready for Tuesday.
“We’re all gutted at the moment, but tomorrow is a new day and we have to make sure we’re ready. There’s lots of football left to play this season and we need to pick up as many points as we can.”
Bowen emphasised his disappointment with the manner in which his side lost a foothold in the contest in the North East, and suggested Isak’s second penalty, that made it 3-2, was the key turning point.
With the crowd fully behind their team, the Magpies utilised the momentum gained from that goal in the closing stages, and substitute Barnes dealt the crushing blow with two goals in the last seven minutes.
“We knew if they got a second goal it would give them a big boost, and that’s what happened,” added Bowen.
“At 3-2 we needed to manage the game and do the right things, but we weren’t able to do that and they went on and got the win. We can’t dwell on the frustration - we just need to make sure we get it right going forward, and that starts on Tuesday night.”
