Jarrod Bowen admitted that West Ham United’s win over Southampton on Sunday afternoon was not the prettiest, but one the Irons can use to kick on from.
A first Irons goal for teammate Nayef Aguerd was enough to get West Ham over the line against the Saints and up to 14th in the Premier League table.
At London Stadium, Bowen, who ran non-stop, recorded four tackles and an 88 per cent pass completion, epitomised the character that took his team to a vital victory. Whether driving down the right, sprinting back, or throwing his body in front of efforts on goal, the No20 played with his heart on his sleeve throughout. He knows no other way.
Eventually, the England forward’s travails brought the opening too. Bowen won the free-kick, bundled over by Duje Ćaleta-Car, that brought the all-important goal with 25 minutes played.
“I was speaking to my family before the game and all I was saying was I couldn’t care how we won the game, as long as we got a result that was the most important thing,” Bowen stated. “And we did that.
“We knew how important Southampton was. There was a lot of pressure on it. But in the end, it is a massive three points.”
A nervy final few moments might have been avoided had one of Bowen’s four efforts on goal not cannoned off the bar in first-half stoppage-time. Or if Saïd Benrahma’s free-kick had not been saved by Gavin Bazunu. Paquetá also fired over from close range.
But the single-goal lead was not extended and the Irons were so nearly made to pay when Paul Onuachu's header hit the same crossbar four minutes from time.
West Ham, in Bowen’s own words, ‘dug deep’. They had to. The pressure was on.
“When the goals don’t come, you’ve got to keep your performance as high as possible,” Bowen explained. “I have got to bring my ‘A game’ to help the Club as much as possible, especially in the position we are in right now.
“Before the game, there was pressure. It was a massive game – and getting that first goal was so important. They had a couple of chances, but, on the whole, we were on the front foot and trying to score the second goal. And even though it didn’t come, we didn’t concede. We dug in really well and got an important three points.”
The victory over the Saints was the Irons’ third from five home matches in 2023. Draws in the other two mean David Moyes’ men are unbeaten at home as they head into Wednesday evening’s fixture with Newcastle United.
A 1-1 draw came in the reverse fixture at St James’ Park thanks to Paquetá’s strike in February, with the Irons now looking to extend their unbeaten home run to seven matches as the high-flying Magpies flock to east London.
Bowen knows the importance of kicking on across all competitions, with eight games still to play this month of April.
“We have another game [on Wednesday],” Bowen stated. “And we can [use the win over Southampton] and keep moving up the table. We can take this momentum and take a lot of confidence going into Newcastle, which won't be easy.
“But we are doing really well at home at the minute. We have a great fanbase here. You heard the roar at the final whistle [against Southampton]. And we want to keep putting good performances in for this Club.”
