Bowen on fire as West Ham trounce lowly Ipswich at home
Those late to their seats missed a thrilling start to proceedings at the London Stadium, with both teams finding the net in the opening six minutes.
Michail Antonio required just 48 seconds to break the deadlock, sweeping the ball home from Jarrod Bowen’s low cross to score against Ipswich for the fifth time in his career.
Unfortunately for the Hammers, their dream start was soured by Liam Delap’s fourth Premier League goal of the season.
The former Manchester City striker kept the ball alive from a corner before drilling a right-foot shot past Alphonse Areola, who would have been frustrated to be beaten at the near post.
With parity restored, the two clubs continued to create chances in a gripping first half, with Jacob Greaves nodding wide before West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus saw his header crash against the upright.
Dara O'Shea was then forced to make a desperate goalline clearance to deny Tomáš Souček after Ipswich carelessly lost possession in their own box.
But West Ham’s persistence ultimately paid off in the 44th minute as Kudus rose high to head home after Antonio’s effort thumped the crossbar.
And Ipswich’s task became much tougher when they played themselves into trouble within four minutes of the restart.
After failing to control a heavy backpass, Arijanet Muric could only fire the ball straight at Bowen, who cut inside onto his favoured right foot before he picked out the bottom corner to score his second league goal of the season.
Lucas Paquetá then got in on the act, tapping home from Bowen’s deflected cross to vanquish Ipswich’s lingering hopes of mounting a comeback.
As a result of their first win since August, West Ham have moved up to 12th spot, while Ipswich are left in 17th place after failing to win their first seven games in a top-flight season for just the second time in their history.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)