1. Jarrod’s historic hat-trick
It took 176 matches, but West Ham United finally have a hat-trick hero to celebrate at London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen became the first Hammer to hit a treble at the Club’s home of seven-and-a-half years when he found the net three times in Monday’s 4-2 Premier League win over Brentford.
The England forward scored twice in the opening six minutes and 12 seconds – the fastest West Ham have gone 2-0 up in 1,060 Premier League matches – with unstoppable left-foot finishes, before ensuring he would take the matchball home by heading in Mohammed Kudus’s cross shortly after the hour-mark.
Bowen’s hat-trick was also the first of his 334-game career for Hereford United, Hull City, West Ham and England, and came after he had scored two goals in the same match on 15 previous occasions without completing his treble.
2. A belated happy New Year!
It was a long time coming, but West Ham United finally have a victory to celebrate in 2024.
The Irons had gone eight matches in all competitions without a win since the calendar flipped – four draws and four defeats. That run had seen the Hammers knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup and drop from sixth to tenth in the Premier League table.
However, a superb attacking performance against Brentford saw David Moyes’ side secure three welcome points and climb back above Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United into eighth position, level on points with Brighton & Hove Albion in seventh.
The win also saw Moyes complete his personal set of wins over all 43 opposing clubs he has faced as a Premier League manager.
With upcoming games away at Everton and home to Burnley, who both currently sit in the bottom six, Moyes and his players will hope to build on Monday’s success with further victories.
3. Emerson’s 10/10 performance
By his own admission, Emerson’s outstanding form from 2023 had dipped slightly in the opening months of 2024.
On Monday, however, the Italian was back to his very best, and capped a fantastic display with a memorable long-range strike into the top right-hand corner of the Brentford net.
Stop what you're doing and watch this Emerson worldie 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ROr7kK6PLh
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 27, 2024
So good was Emerson’s performance that he was given a perfect ‘10’ rating by analytics website WhoScored.
The 29-year-old led his team in a host of statistical categories with 90 touches, 53 passes, five interceptions, four tackles and four key passes, while he also assisted Jarrod Bowen’s opening goal with an accurate cutback from the left byline.
4. Areola at his best again
While clean sheets have proved hard to come by for Alphonse Areola, the goalkeeper has produced his best time and time again for West Ham United this season.
The France international was superb again on Monday evening, making five important saves to ensure his team scored a valuable Premier League victory.
Areola could do nothing to prevent accurate finishes from Neal Maupay and Yoane Wissa finding the corner of his net, but he was certainly more than equal to efforts from Frank Onyeka, Keane Lewis-Potter, Ivan Toney and Mikkel Damsgaard.
While Jarrod Bowen rightly made the headlines, Areola’s performance was also hugely influential.
