West Ham boss David Moyes likes the sound of his Hammers side being at the top of the Premier League table as they returned to the summit with a 2-1 win at Luton.
Goals from Jarrod Bowen and Kurt Zouma were enough for the visitors to claim all three points, with Mads Andersen’s stoppage-time header a consolation at Kenilworth Road.
Moyes said: “It’s Luton at home, the first game back in the Premier League and once we got into it, we did well enough.
“For a little while (we’re top), but it’s nice for people to say that – it’s good, I like the sound of it and long may it continue.
“It was a really good ball from (Lucas) Paqueta and a finish from Jarrod, so really pleased.
“It’s not easy to come here in the first Premier League game of the season, so overall we did well.
“Kurt’s goal took the game away from them, we were the better team and we probably should have been further in front.
“Two or three counter-attacking moments where we have been so slick with it recently.
“Our away form had been poor, but our away form is brilliant now.
“Today was a bit of the same, we played better, had to defend really as well as their style of play will cause a lot of teams problems and I thought our defenders did really well.”
A quiet first half saw Ross Barkley drag two chances wide for Luton, with Said Benrahma off target for the Hammers, who went ahead after 37 minutes when Paqueta’s cross was powered home by Bowen.
Elijah Adebayo and Tahith Chong fired wide for Luton after the break before Emerson’s effort was ruled offside by VAR at the other end.
With four minutes left, Zouma’s downward header doubled West Ham’s lead before Andersen pulled one back in stoppage time.
Luton might have had a chance to equalise but a possible James Ward-Prowse handball from a corner in the dying seconds was not awarded.
Luton boss Rob Edwards said of the late drama: “A lot of people are telling me that (it’s handball).
“I’ve only seen a still, a freeze frame at the moment; I’ve not had a chance to see it back.
“If it was, I’m disappointed, if it’s gone against us as those are the moments you need to go our way especially at this level to get results.
“But I’m not going to complain about that now, or blame that, we’ve got to look at ourselves.
“Me, myself as well, how we can keep getting better, I don’t want to keep saying the same things after the game.
“Fine moments, basics, one cross into the box we didn’t deal with it well enough in the first half and a set-piece.
“I will say that corner came from a corner that probably should have been our corner before that and then we conceded from it.
“But I saw a team that was a lot more compact than in the last two games and I saw a team that was still aggressive and created chances.”
After the game Luton announced the signing of Albert Sambi Lokonga on a season-long loan deal from Arsenal.
The 23-year-old made 15 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners last season and was in attendance at Kenilworth Road.
