West Ham United 1-0 AFC Bournemouth
Carabao Cup second round, London Stadium, Wednesday 28 August 2024, 7.45pm BST
West Ham United earned a battling 1-0 win against AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium on Wednesday evening to reach the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Jarrod Bowen was the Irons’ match-winner late in the contest, albeit it unconventional fashion, as Mohammed Kudus’ shot deflected off the No20 and into the back of the net with just two minutes remaining of a tight contest in east London.
The Hammers will now head to Anfield to face Liverpool in the next round, after they were paired with the Reds in the third round draw, which took place later on Wednesday evening.
Little over 72 hours after registering our first win of the 2024/25 Premier League season with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Julen Lopetegui made seven changes to his side to face the Cherries, with Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug all handed their full West Ham debuts.
It was a fairly even opening to the match, with Bournemouth perhaps just edging it, and that showed when Alex Scott ran at the Irons’ defence, dropped a shoulder and curled just wide of the far post.
At the midway point of the opening period, the Cherries were presented with their next opportunity to have an attempt on goal.
Scott’s deep corner found a completely unmarked Marcos Senesi towards the back post, but his free header was straight at Łukasz Fabiański, before a second corner was punched as far as Luis Sinisterra, who could only head wide of the target.
Set pieces also offered promise for the Hammers. With 40 minutes gone, Julen Lopetegui’s side finally registered their first shot on target as Füllkrug directed a tame header at Neto after being picked out by James Ward-Prowse.
The first half finished with a spell of pressure from the visitors, and they spurned a presentable chance on the cusp of half-time when Dango Ouattara had a flicked, acrobatic effort blocked by Fabiański.
Just like they did against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Lopetegui’s side ramped up the intensity at the start of the second half, with Crysencio Summerville cutting inside to his favoured right foot and curling a shot inches wide.
But Bournemouth were already getting right back into the contest. Three times in quick succession they went close as Ouattara showed his pace before forcing a smart stop from Fabiański. Substitute Evanilson was proving a handful for the West Ham defence and he fired wide from close range. Then, he peeled away from Dinos Mavropanos to get in behind the Hammers’ defence, but dragged a left-foot effort across the face of goal and wide again.
The Irons No1 was called into action again five minutes later, after Marcus Tavernier drove into the West Ham box and saw a low shot from an angle tipped away.
The match was still finely poised as both sides chased a winner, with Ouattara blazing a free-kick over the bar, while, at the other end, Bowen’s fierce long-range drive forced a diving save from Neto.
Just when the match was crying out for a bit of quality, and with penalties approaching, Bowen and Mohammed Kudus combined to provide it. The former played the ball into Kudus, whose shot took a huge deflection off the Hammers' captain and wrong-footed Neto.
With that, West Ham battened down the hatches, the Cherries’ threat was finally repelled and the Londoners booked their spot in the third round.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo (Mavropanos 46), Kilman, Coufal, Álvarez (Rodríguez 60), Ward-Prowse (Paquetá 60), Souček, Bowen ©, Summerville (Emerson 74), Füllkrug (Kudus 74)
Subs: Foderingham (GK), Irving, Guilherme, Antonio
Goal: Bowen 88
Booked: Todibo, Wan-Bissaka, Fabiański
AFC Bournemouth: Neto ©, Smith, Huijsen, Senesi, Hill, Ouattara (Araujo 87), Scott (Cook 79), Christie, Tavernier (Kluivert 68), Sinisterra (Semenyo 68), Jebbison (Evanilson 46)
Subs: Travers (GK), Kerkez, Dennis, Zabarnyi
Booked: Scott, Evanilson
Referee: Peter Bankes
Attendance: 47,381
