It's off to the Best Meze Cafe where Matt is possibly having himself in a yellow hoodie drinking red wine and eating halloumi mushrooms. After my hasty falafel and chips, purchased for the price of a small house, we head to the London Stadium. We're joined by Nigel and CQ back from watching Havana Clue FC in Cuba, newly-Welsh-resident Big Sam and Charlton Iron Gavin.
West Ham start with intensity, which is a shock, and the crowd are getting behind the side, suggesting the reported anti-Moyes sentiment might have been a little exaggerated.
The return of Paqueta gives the whole side a boost and his partnership with Emerson and ability to keep the ball soon has the crowd purring. Ward-Prowse nods on Coufal's cross and Soucek fires a great chance over the bar.
It's the perfect start after five minutes. Ward-Prowse finds the overlapping Emerson who plays the ball inside to Bowen. Jarrod takes a touch to control and fires home a left-foot shot with the outside of his boot. A great finish. The relief is palpable after three goalless games and it's Jarrod's first goal since returning from injury.
Two minutes later Soucek picks up a loose ball to feed Bowen. He finds Kudus, who plays in Coufal on the right. Vlad's low cross is turned in by Bowen for a lovely team goal. What sort of thing is happening here?
Though this being West Ham the Irons lose the ball in midfield, Lewis-Potter gets between Zouma and Enerson to play in Maupay. Mavropanos isn't close enough to the striker and the man who always scores against us chips home. Three goals in thirteen minutes.
West Ham have a good half, with Paqueta having a couple of chances, Kudus testing Flekken and then firing wide after a storming run. Mo looks in the mood and Reguilon is booked for a cynical foul.
At half-time I dispense ny five copies of Massive smuggled past security, three for Gavin, one for Nigel and one for Fraser's mate Keith. The consensus is it's too delicately poised for Nigel to eat his lucky banana.
FOREVER BOWEN'S BUBBLES
Brentford have a lot of possession at the start of the second half, but Mavropanos, in for Aguerd, impresses with some fine crunching tackles and interceptions, while Zouma wins a lot in the air. The Hammers' best outlet is Kudus. On 63 minutes Mo gets away on the left, bamboozles Reguilon, and dinks a cross in for Bowen to head home. That's Jarrod's first ever hat-trick after 16 career doubles. He runs to the Bobby Moore Stand brandishing three fingers. That's 17 goals this season for the ignited Bowen, and 14 in the league.
"Champions of Europe we know what we are!" rings around the stadium after a dismal start to 2024. Areola has to make a fine low stop to deny Onyeka. But Kudus gets another cross in which is headed out to Emerson on the edge ofd the box. The progressive left-back fires home a fantastic shot into the top corner. Best goal of the night.
"West Ham are massive!" sings the crowd. Paqueueta gets an ovation when he is sensibly replaced by Antonio. Though on 82 minutes poor concentration allows Wissa to fire home a fine finish from the edge of the area. Areola has to make two excellent saves, including a brilliant one-handed parry from Toney's header. But West Ham hold on for a deserved three points. Moyes does tend to win these must-win games and we go back up to eighth.
After the match Gavin has to dash off to the shop to buy a WHU stegosaurus for Lizzie (please insert your own Moyes dinosaur jokes here). The rest of us head off to the Eagle to meet the crocked Fraser who has been in the wheelchair section with Sinead and rather enjoyed this feast of Moyesball in a six-goal thriller. It's Tayto crisps and East London Pale Ale before a late night dash to Maryland and the Elizabeth line. This was a very welcome result and a much better performance taking WHU to 39 points. One more point and we're safe. Irons!
PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 8; Coufal 7, Mavropanos 7, Zouma 7, Emerson 8; Soucek 7, Alvarez 6, Ward-Prowse 7, Paqueta 7 (Antonio 6); Bowen 9, Kudus 8 (Johnson n/a).
2 comments:
Great night all round, so pleased for the team, the supporters, and Moyes who must have been feeling it was " curtains " if we lost.
Paqueta's return just made the whole team tick, I thought everyone played well and it was so uplifting to get back on track.
Hopefully we don't go to Merseyside and capitulate, but being a Hammer I am now prepared for anything!
COYI
Much better all round the team looked aggressive and got the ball forward quickly. Just a bit worrying we are so reliant on Paqueta, shades of Payet days. But hopefully we can wrap Lucas in cotton wool for the rest pf the season.
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