West Ham United 2-0 AFC Bournemouth
Premier League, London Stadium, Monday 24 October 2022
Kurt Zouma struck on his 200th Premier League appearance as West Ham United made it five wins on the bounce at London Stadium with a deserved 2-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth.
The French defender flicked the ball home shortly before the interval after Thilo Kehrer and Tomáš Souček kept a Jarrod Bowen corner alive.
On the other side of the break, Declan Rice and Souček went close to a West Ham second, before Saïd Benrahma clinched all three points in stoppage-time with an emphatic penalty.
A third straight home Premier League triumph moves the Irons up to tenth in the table.
It seemed a matter of time before David Moyes’ men took the lead as a hatful of chances fell to those in Claret and Blue.
Benrahma whipped a freekick into the side netting from the left, while Souček headed an Aaron Cresswell cross over the bar. Bowen then found Johnson down the right where the Hammers No2 saw his cross deflect into the path of Flynn Downes, who came close to a first West Ham goal when his shot was somehow blocked.
There was another chance for the Irons when the rebound from Downes’ effort fell to Cresswell, although a fierce strike from the vice-skipper was tipped over the bar by Neto, who later was at full stretch to deter Souček from close range.
But the Bournemouth resistance would be broken not long after as a long pass from Ben Johnson was chased well by Bowen, whose pressure saw Adam Smith concede a corner.
From the resulting set-piece came the opening goal, with the corner expertly whipped into a crowded six-yard box by Bowen, where a pinball of deflections saw the ball break to Kehrer, Downes and then Zouma. The French defender nodded home his second West Ham goal – his first since a 3-2 win over Liverpool at London Stadium last November – and the Irons led at the break.
A delight to watch throughout in east London, Benrahma carved the first West Ham opportunity of the second half. A delicious cross from No22 almost found Souček but the Czech Republic skipper could not convert from close range. He then took matters in his own hands striking two long-distance efforts in quick succession narrowly wide of the Bournemouth net.
As the Irons pressed to double their lead, Benrahma then picked out Bowen with a chipped pass but a volleyed cross from the England forward was smothered by substitute goalkeeper Mark Travers. Scamacca and Bowen then combined beautifully, although Bowen’s shot was blocked, before an audacious volleyed strike from Declan Rice stung the palms of the visiting stopper.
Former Hammer Gary O'Neil saw his side's chances limited at London Stadium, although Souček made a vital stretched challenge to break up a counter-attack on more than one occasion. Kehrer also did well to clear the ball as Bournemouth threatened an equaliser late on.
But the Hammers soaked up the Bournemouth pressure well and were awarded a penalty in stoppage time when a Vladimír Coufal cross hit the outstretched arm of Jordan Zemura. Benrahma then sent Travers the wrong way from 12 yards and smashed the spot-kick into the left corner.
A deserved goal for the Hammers No22 would be the final action of an important Premier League win.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Johnson, Kehrer, Zouma, Cresswell, Rice ©, Souček, Bowen (Coufal 88), Downes (Fornals 88), Benrahma , Scamacca (Antonio 74)
Subs not used: Areola (GK), Randolph (GK), Lanzini, Ogbonna, Coventry, Emerson
Goals: Zouma 45 Benrahma 90+2 pen
AFC Bournemouth: Neto (Travers 46), Fredericks (Zemura 57), Mepham, Senesi, Smith ©, Cook, Lerma, Christie, Billing, Tavernier, Solanke (Moore 45)
Subs not used: Stacey, Stephens, Pearson, Rothwell, Stanislas, Anthony
Booked: Lerma, Mepham
Referee: David Coote
Attendance: 62,447
