Jarrod Bowen inspired West Ham to a thumping 4-1 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town to ease the pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui.
Bowen, who was left out of interim England manager Lee Carsley’s UEFA Nations League squad for the forthcoming matches against Greece and Finland, returned to his best form to secure Lopetegui his first home league win since replacing David Moyes in the dugout during the summer.
West Ham fell behind within a minute last weekend at Brentford, but they took the lead inside 48 seconds themselves this time around as Bowen’s low cross was converted by the impressive Michail Antonio.
Michail Antonio’s opener after just 48 seconds was West Ham’s earliest Premier League goal on record (since 2006-07)
The hosts’ lead lasted all of five minutes, however. Liam Delap is quickly establishing himself as a player of substance at this level, and when Lucas Paqueta allowed him too much time to retrieve a loose ball following a corner, the Man City academy product cut inside and clouted his powerful shot underneath Alphonse Areola.
Areola ought to have done better and he was rooted to the spot when Jacob Greaves flashed a glancing header just wide from Leif Davis’ free-kick later in the half.
West Ham seized their opportunity as not long after Mohammed Kudus had grazed the post from an inviting Antonio cross, the Ghanaian reacted quickest to convert from close range after Antonio’s header bounced back out off the underside of the crossbar from a Paqueta delivery.
Liam Delap celebrates scoring against West Ham
Ipswich had been fortunate not to trail sooner, with Tomas Soucek’s shot being cleared off the line by Dara O’Shea after a mix-up between Arijanet Muric and Sam Morsy.
The visitors were the authors of their own downfall upon the restart as Muric struggled to control a backpass from Ben Johnson, presenting the ball to Bowen, who breezed inside Kalvin Phillips to find the far corner (49).
Paqueta added extra gloss to the scoreline with a simple tap-in from Bowen’s low cross to ensure only a second home Premier League win in 10 attempts for the Hammers, which moves them up to 12th in the table. Ipswich remain in 17th on four points.
Storm clouds passing at West Ham
Lucas Paqueta celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal
It was a sizzling display by Bowen as his side ended their barren home run in style. West Ham spent around £132m in the summer transfer window – recouping around £32.5m – but started the weekend 14th in the Premier League, just two points clear of the relegation zone.
This win helps ease the lingering concerns around Lopetegui’s appointment. At times in the first half, they threatened to make heavy work of this first home league victory of the season.
Jarrod Bowen impressed as West Ham defeated Ipswich
By the end, it was the old West Ham. It could have been five or six. Following a stuttering start to the campaign, those storm clouds are passing.
Lopetegui said: “We’re happy when we win. We work for this. We’re happy for the fans as they deserve this and for the players as they are working very hard. It was against a good team. They didn’t lose to Aston Villa, Fulham, Southampton, Brighton so it’s a good win.
“We started better but we suffered a very early goal too. We conceded from the first corner and maybe we could have done better. It was key as the team then showed a strong mentality. In the bad moments, you have to be strong. We did against Brentford and we did again today. It’s important to highlight as it will help us become a better team.”
Phillips endures torrid return
Kalvin Phillips’ mistake led to West Ham’s opener
Phillips was back at the London Stadium, where he had a frustrating spell on loan from Manchester City last term, failing to get the sort of playing time he had been looking for after his difficulties breaking into Pep Guardiola’s side.
But within a minute, it was his mistake which led to West Ham’s opener. The scoreline was probably harsh, but the Tractor Boys remain winless on their return to the top flight.
Following four impressive draws, this defeat in the capital comes as a reality check for Ipswich, who more than held their own in the first half but were ultimately outclassed, with Bowen at the fore.
Delap shows his frustration as Ipswich fell to defeat
Delap continued his goalscoring form but others now have to chip in. Like Luton last season, there is a lot to like about how they attack games, but similar to the Hatters, they are too open at the back.
Their second-half display was as bad a 45 minutes as McKenna’s side have produced so far this season.
“It ended up a disappointing day for us,” the Ipswich boss said. “There was a large majority of the first half in which it was a competitive game that was evenly fought. We played some good football but we conceded poor goals which changed the momentum of the game.
“We didn’t deal well enough with the direct play. The goals came from those moments so there’s a lot for us to learn.
“They didn’t have to work hard for their goals. Apart from the fourth, the goals came too easily. They have quality and they showed that with the goals and chances they created if you give them opportunities.”
Kudus finally off the mark – Opta stats
Mohammed Kudus celebrates scoring West Ham’s second goal
- West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus scored his first league goal of the season with his 18th attempt, before today only Bruno Fernandes (17) had more shots without scoring in the Premier League in 2024-25 than the Ghanaian (15).
- West Ham gained their first Premier League home win of the season, with it being their biggest margin of victory in the competition since last December (3-0 against Wolves).
- Following Liam Delap’s sixth minute equaliser, this was the earliest both teams have scored in a Premier League game involving West Ham or Ipswich.
- West Ham had 13 shots on target against Ipswich; their most in a Premier League on record (since 2003-04).
