Jarrod Bowen's double was timed to perfection as West Ham United beat Everton 2-0 at London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers were two goals ahead at the break, and well on their way to consecutive home wins over the Toffees, thanks to Bowen's twin strike - the day after his partner Dani announced the couple were expecting twins off the pitch too!
The No20 broke the deadlock on 31 minutes, using a perfectly-timed run to convert Kurt Zouma's knockdown, then arriving at the perfect moment 12 minutes later to smash Michail Antonio's cross into the net.
And Bowen explained his weekend could not have gone any better, on and off the pitch!
“I broke the news last night about having twins, so today was really special scoring two goals!” he explained. “I just gambled on a touch and the ball fell to me; it could not have been any easier to put it into the net. We have been speaking a lot about putting tap-in goals for other people. I just gambled and ran across the six-yard box and hopefully it falls to me and it did.
“Since we found out [about the twins], it has been hard to keep it away from everyone, but to release it last night and to score two today is really special. I could not have asked for a better weekend!”
Bowen’s double saw the Irons end a winless run of seven league games and record their second triumph of 2023 – their first in the Premier League following an FA Cup third-round victory away to Brentford.
There were chances for Bowen to register his first West Ham hat-trick, too. The No20 admitted that milestone was on his mind in the second half, first as Rice’s cross-shot just eluded him, and then when Conor Coady’s outstretched boot blocked his goal-bound strike.
“When you are on a hat-trick you are always trying to score [another]," he added, smiling. “I had a couple where I went through [but could not find the net]. I am still trying to net a hat-trick, but two goals and a clean sheet for the defenders; it’s a massive win for us.
“We have been disappointed with the position we are in, so today was really important to put in a good performance, especially to put smiles back on the faces [of the fans].”
The victory moves the Irons to 15th in the table, and the Club will now look to push on in the league with an FA Cup fourth-round tie away to EFL League One side Derby County on Monday 30 January up next.
“It’s massive,” explained Bowen. “Now, it is about building on what we have done today. It’s about every week now, showing up on that pitch, and grinding results.
“Today is a really good start for that. We are still nowhere near where we want to be, so it is about building on the win now.”
