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Captain Jarrod Bowen had one of his worst ever games for West Ham as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side flopped when it mattered most in the relegation battle with a 0-0 draw at home to Bournemouth.
Going into the game against the Cherries, West Ham knew a victory would draw them level on points with Nottingham Forest in the safety of 17th.
A win – and a decent margin of victory for Liverpool at the City Ground – would even have elevated the Hammers out of the relegation zone for the first time since November and only the third time all season.
With the likes of Brighton and Leeds getting positive results, West Ham knew they needed a victory to really ramp up the pressure on the teams above them.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have been on a great run of form with some excellent, high-intensity performances of late.
West Ham fail to pile pressure on relegation rivals
The clash with Bournemouth was very much seen as a crossroads for the rest of the relegation battle.
Nuno has picked out six games for West Ham to win to secure Premier League survival this season and Bournemouth at home was one of them.
Your Man of the Match?
Was anyone better than Summerville?
But when it mattered most, West Ham flopped.
A distinctly average display was typified by captain Jarrod Bowen.
The skipper has carried the club on his back for the last two years but has looked dead on his feet for much of the last few months.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Nuno gave Bowen an extended spell off while West Ham were in FA Cup action against Burton last weekend.
The Hammers hero went to New York for a much-deserved break.
But Bowen flopped after his New York recharge to let Nottingham Forest off hook.
West Ham huffed and puffed at times but left supporters extremely frustrated with the intensity that has been a trademark of the recent improvement sorely lacking against the Cherries.
Bowen flops after New York recharge to let Forest off hook
Clear-cut chances were at a premium as West Ham took a point that feels pointless.
The result means the Hammers remain in the relegation zone on 25 points, two behind Forest, who can re-establish a five-point gap if they pick up a shock win against Liverpool.
So close yet so far… 😮💨
What did you make of the stalemate with Bournemouth?
The Hammers had 20 shots but only three of them were on target as they wasted some really good positions.
It was a huge opportunity wasted and Bowen was guilty of the miss of the match as he blazed over with one of the last kicks of the game from six yards out – albeit from a difficult angle.
West Ham may well look back on this game with major regret.
Especially if they are the ones to drop come what May.
And that was written all over the faces of the players, fans and Nuno at the full-time whistle.
West Ham player ratings vs Bournemouth:
Mads Hermansen, 7.5/10: Very tidy and assured and a clean sheet to boot. A lot of Bournemouth’s efforts were straight at the Dane but he did all the basics very well.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 7.5/10: Very good defensively to thwart Bournemouth down that side but did not offer as much as usual going forward.
Konstantinos Mavropanos, 7.5/10: The big Greek has been putting in markedly improved performances since Paco Jemez’s arrival last month. Another strong and solid performance.
Axel Disasi, 7.5/10: The French centre-back has been a breath of fresh air since arriving on loan from Chelsea. Was unlucky not to score within a minute and had another good chance from a corner. The no-nonsense defender West Ham have needed for two years.
El Hadji Malick Diouf, 6.5/10: Poor defensively with Bournemouth getting far too much joy down his side. Provided some good crosses at the other end but not his best performance.
Soungoutou Magassa, 7/10: Made some nice interceptions and broke up play to set up counter attacks. Definitely a top player in there.
Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images
Tomas Soucek, 6/10: Not the big Czech’s best game as he looked a bit lost in no-man’s land at times, subbed off.
Mateus Fernandes, 6.5/10: Has been West Ham’s most influential player behind Crysencio Summerville during the recent revival. The Portuguese worked hard as always but he cut a frustrated figure especially at full-time, showing he felt it was a poor result too.
Crysencio Summerville, 8/10: West Ham’s in-form star was the only one who looked like making a breakthrough but it didn’t quite happen for the Dutchman, who was still the team’s best player on the day.
Jarrod Bowen, 6/10: One of, if not the, worst games Bowen has had in a West Ham shirt. Gave his all as usual but was well shackled by former Hammers target Adrien Truffert. His recharge in New York didn’t pay off as Bowen still looks leggy and miles off his best when the Hammers desperately need him firing.
Taty Castellanos, 6/10: Works hard and did again but offers very little goal threat and no pace in behind. Looks much better in the second striker role.
Subs:
Callum Wilson, 7/10: An instant threat the moment he came on. Should have started and West Ham would probably have won the game.
Mohamadou Kante, 6.5/10: Looked powerful and keen when he came on.
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