Jarrod Bowen applauded a “brilliant” showing from Saïd Benrahma as West Ham United defeated AFC Bournemouth 2-0 at London Stadium.
The Algerian midfielder was a delight throughout in east London and capped his return to the Irons starting XI with a late penalty after a Kurt Zouma header put the Hammers ahead in the first half.
A fifth straight home victory in all competitions moved David Moyes' men up to tenth in the Premier League table.
And Bowen was quick to heap the plaudits on Benrahma, who shone brightly in east London.
“That is the quality Said has got,” enthused Bowen on his teammates’ performance. “His one-v-one ability, creating things. He was a real bright spark and to get his goal.
“It was a brilliant penalty to make it 2-0 as well. Said was brilliant tonight. I am so happy for him."
Benrahma’s late strike secured West Ham a third straight home success in the Premier League, although Bowen made it clear his team must now build on the result.
The last few minutes were certainly not pretty, although the result was the most important matter come the final whistle. It is a triumph that moves the Hammers into the top half.
“The win is massively important,” stated Bowen. “The position we found ourselves in the last few games hasn't been great, especially waiting until Monday to play and seeing everyone else's results.
“We knew the importance of tonight and where [a win] could take us. [The table] looks a lot better now than it did at the start of the day. The main thing is to keep that momentum now.
"We were probably our own worst enemy, not retaining the ball. The last 10 minutes we had to suffer but we stuck at it and did well."
What a performance from this man! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/gorXWVH8LA
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 24, 2022
Most importantly, it looks as if the Irons have turned a corner from their early season league form.
They head in a UEFA Europa Conference league fixture against Silkeborg IF on Thursday in high spirits.
And Bowen was adamant that the work West Ham put in on the training pitch and the togetherness of the squad is the reason for the return to winning ways on home soil.
“We did not start the season well enough,” explained Bowen, honestly. “Our performances were not at the level we have set over the past years. It was about us reacting as a group.
“But we dug deep [today] and sometimes the togetherness and spirit as a team gets you through those rough patches.
“Every day in training the standard, the professionalism is top drawer. We're getting there now with the performances and picking up good results so we just have to keep aiming higher and higher.”
