West Ham United moved into the top half of the Premier League table this season on Monday night after a 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the London Stadium.
Goals from Kurt Zouma and Said Benrahma (penalty) at the end of either half secured a fifth straight home win in all competitions for the Hammers for the first time since moving to the London Stadium, a game which saw both goals involve VAR controversy.
As the Hammers climbed seven places in one evening, here are five of the major talking points from a victory that did not quite have the dominance that the scoreline may have suggested.
READ MORE: Every word David Moyes said on West Ham's Bournemouth win, VAR, Said Benrahma and Kurt Zouma
Back in the top half
For the first time since the end of last season, West Ham moved into the top half of the table with a two-goal victory against a Cherries side who have been in spirited form since former Hammer Gary O’Neil took charge of them last month.
West Ham took early pressure in the game but had times where they were forced to be mindful of the counter attack, with Dominic Solanke forcing Lukasz Fabianski into an early stop.
The Hammers huffed and puffed to get their first goal but, for all of their good passing, could not find a way through, with Benrahma, Flynn Downes, Tomas Soucek and Aaron Cresswell all going close in a matter of minutes.
From a Jarrod Bowen corner, the opening goal did come but was marred with controversy. As the ball bounced off Thilo Kehrer’s hand and towards the edge of the penalty area, Soucek quickly flicked it back into the box with Zouma duly nodding in to make 1-0, a fortunate goal given after a VAR check.
West Ham had the pressure and possession to make it 2-0 throughout the opening half an hour of the second half, with Bowen having a shot blocked and Benrahma shooting whenever his eyes lit up and he was in possession, although his attempts were often audacious and well over – captain Declan Rice’s speculative volley was the only time substitute goal Mark Travers was worked for almost all of the first half.
Gianluca Scamacca, who did a great job of providing for his attacking colleagues, was taken off for Michail Antonio with 15 minutes to go, and that switch seemed to give Bournemouth a lift, with Antonio being beaten too easily when West Ham attempted to clear and reset, leading to a late onslaught from the Cherries.
The one time Antonio did keep hold of it, he laid it off to fellow substitute Vladimir Coufal, whose cross crashed into the hand of Jordan Zemura to win the Hammers a stoppage-time penalty.
Benrahma took it, and with conviction, to give West Ham a sealed victory. Not the most emphatic of displays from Moyes’ men, but a job done nonetheless.
That win took West Ham up seven league places from 17th to tenth, a massive shift in positivity with the World Cup break closely looming.
VAR strikes again
More often than not, VAR is playing a big part in all of West Ham’s league matches at the moment, and the same happened again with both of West Ham’s goals.
The first stood despite Kehrer’s handball in the build-up to Zouma heading in at the back post. VAR official Mike Dean deemed that Kehrer’s handball came at a separate phase of play to Zouma’s goal, despite being seconds apart from each other, leaving Bournemouth rightfully incensed.
The last thing referee David Coote would have wanted to have another handball decipher for at a crucial moment, but that is exactly what he got when Coufal’s cross was blocked by the hand of Zemura. Coote did not give it initially, but after a VAR consultation, awarded the penalty that saw Benrahma seal victory, sending Travers the wrong way.
There is a certain irony at one handball decision giving West Ham the lead, and as Bournemouth threatened to get a late leveller, another handball decision would seal the Cherries’ fate, a call again favouring West Ham.
The Hammers have not had it all their way, recent trips to Southampton and Chelsea are prime examples, but home wins over Fulham and Bournemouth have seen West Ham get the rub of the green.
Home form building as record is made
For the first time in ten years, when the Irons were in the Championship, West Ham have won five consecutive matches at home in all competitions.
Of the five this time around, two have been in the Europa Conference League, but it is an impressive feat, with it being the first time this century they have managed it as a top-flight club and the first time since moving to the London Stadium.
In six home league games, West Ham have picked up ten points from a possible 18, losing only to Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion and drawing with Tottenham Hotspur.
Of the Hammers’ three league games to go before the World Cup break, three of them are at home against Crystal Palace and Leicester City, two of the sides currently below them. Wins in those games would give Moyes’ men a further boost as they look to tighten the gap on the European spots before the season pauses.
Said Benrahma takes his chance
Of all positions in the Hammers’ squad, it’s the left wing spot that really seems to be one in which Moyes is still trying to figure out who should start there.
Against Bournemouth, the only change from the defeat at Liverpool five days earlier came in that role, with Bernahma replacing Pablo Fornals, an opportunity to prove himself after recently impressing in cameos off the bench against Everton, Southampton and Liverpool.
Fresh with a new bleached-blonde haircut, Benrahma was good at getting the ball, keeping hold of it, running at opposition defenders and linking up well with Aaron Cresswell down their side.
At times, the Algerian was guilty of trying to do too much or not making the simple pass or shoot from range, but he caused problems, with West Ham getting plenty of joy via their full-backs Cresswell and Ben Johnson overlapping and working the ball into the box well.
While he had not got a goal or an assist until the dying embers, a chance presented itself after Zemura’s handball, and the former Brentford man got his chance to open his goal account for the league season, which he did with an excellent penalty.
Yet another penalty taker
West Ham have had six penalties in all competitions this season, taken by four different takers, with a current success rate of four out of six.
In his post-match press conference, Moyes admitted that Benrahma was not initially due to take the spot-kick but did so with a very competent finish.
It comes just five days after Bowen saw a spot-kick at Anfield saved by Alisson, and with Coufal winning the penalty shortly after replacing Bowen, a change had to be made.
Benrahma has had eight penalties in his career Nice B, La Chateauroux, Brentford and West Ham, finding the net with all eight. If he keeps his place in the side, he must be in with a shout of becoming the club’s new permanent penalty taker.
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