Thank you very much for joining me. Have a lovely evening.
Here is the match report.
Gary O’Neil: “I thought we did OK. We weren’t good enough with the ball in the first half. In the second half we looked like we put up a fight.
“I thought there was a foul in the build up just before the handball. It was a cute one. Downes impeded Senesi meaning he could not clear the ball. It is a deliberate handball [from Kehrer]. It is getting a bit ridiculous – it has been 10 VAR checks since I started and none have gone our way. The referee said his hand was in a natural position which I disagree with.
“We [referee and O’Neil] disagree, he says Zemura’s arm is in an unnatural position. It is one of those things that seems to be going against us.”
Precise Rice.
98.6% - Declan Rice completed 69 of the 70 passes he attempted for West Ham United tonight (98.6%), the highest percentage completed by a West Ham player in a Premier League game on record (min. 50 passes attempted). Tidy. pic.twitter.com/MtGwA98zrT
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 24, 2022
David Moyes: “A really good win for us. It was a lot harder than I would have liked. We did some really good things tonight.
“Really pleased with the points. Our performance was OK but we could have been better in the final third.
“I think we were due a decision or two. It is not easy for the referee, but we want consistency. I know Bournemouth are unhappy with them.
“I thought Benrahma played very well tonight. It’s more about consistency with Said. He is somebody we really like.
“We didn’t start the season well and we were aware of it.”
John Brewin’s report has landed.
Jarrod Bowen: “Massively important win. We knew the importance tonight and where we could shoot ourselves in the league.
“I think the last 10 to 15 minutes we were our own worst enemy by not retaining the ball. We had to suffer.
“We didn’t start the season well enough. Our performances were not at a level we have set ourselves. Sometimes rough patches can bring you together as a team.
“We are getting there with the performances and picking up results. We have to keep aiming higher and higher.”
Fortress.
5 - West Ham have won five consecutive home games in all competitions as a top-flight club for the first time since October 1999, with the fifth win in that run coming against Bournemouth in a League Cup tie. Bubbling.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 24, 2022
Gary O’Neil goes and wags his finger in the referee’s face. He does not look pleased. Smith goes over for an explanation about the decisions that went against Bournemouth and I fear he will not get one.
Updated
Full-time: West Ham 2-0 Bournemouth
On balance, West Ham were the only team to deserve three points tonight but they were lucky with both of their goals because the handball rule was written on the back of a fag packet at some point. Gary O’Neil should be rightly angry about it all but his team only offered any attacking play in the final 10 minutes.
GOAL! West Ham 2-0 Bournemouth (Benrahma, pen, 90+2 mins)
The Algerian sends the keeper the wrong way.
Updated
90+1 mins: He gives the penalty because … of course. Gary O’Neil might be about to blow a gasket.
90 mins: It is not handball for co-commentator Alan Smith and I would not give it. The referee is off to look at the screen, so they will probably give this.
Updated
89 mins: Coufal swings in a cross from the right and it hits Zemura on a the arm inside the box but if no one else is being punished for similar today then it would be very harsh to give a penalty …
Updated
88 mins: It is all Bournemouth at the moment. Can they create a clearcut chance?
Coufal and Fornals replace Bowen and Downes.
86 mins: Billing heads a cross back into the danger area for Anthony to attack but his header is weak and Fabianski holds on.
84 mins: A replay is finally shown of Johnson’s ‘handball’; the ball does hit his arm but is not a penalty.
82 mins: Zemura controls a deep cross in the box and the ball bounces off Johnson, resulting in shouts for handball from Bournemouth. Mike Dean has a look but rules out a penalty very quickly.
“I liked that little exchange between Nolan and Antonio that was captured by the cameras,” emails Kári Tulinius. “They looked like they were enjoying themselves, and Antonio seemed excited he was about to come on. It was a nice reminder that football is a fun game, that people like playing, amidst all the sturm und drang around the sport.”
80 mins: Bournemouth are putting West Ham until a little bit of pressure …
Updated
78 mins: Billing curls in a cross form the right which Fabianski comes to claim but he drops it after being clattered by Lerma, leaving the goalkeeper and Johnson on the deck. The referee curtails the madness by awarding West Ham a free-kick.
Updated
76 mins: Antonio races to keep the ball in play and then shows off with a couple of nice touches, much to the crowd’s pleasure.
73 mins: Cook whips in a free-kick from deep to Moore, who knocks it into the path of Lerma but he cannot make good enough contact and the ball goes wide.
Antonio is readying himself to come on. Scamacca is going off.
Updated
71 mins: Cresswell swings in a free-kick but Bournemouth manage to get it away after a few ricochets inside the box.
69 mins: Kehrer and Moore are having a good battle. The defender pulls down the striker near the halfway line in their latest tussle.
67 mins: Moore gets down the left and flashes a cross into the box but it is too far ahead of Billing and West Ham get it clear. Finally a sign of promise for Bournemouth.
65 mins: Bournemouth head a corner clear to Benrahma 30 yards out, allowing the Algerian to attempt an audacious volley which is struck well but only makes it as far as a Cherries defender in the box.
63 mins: Scamacca gives away a free-kick in his own half. Bournemouth take it quickly and Fabianski is forced to get down well to save a shot.
I think that is a red, lads.
61 mins: Rice takes down the ball 30 yards from goal and fires a volley at Travers but the substitute goalkeeper reads it and palms away from danger.
“How can that not be a red?” asks Ian Sargeant regarding Lerma’s foul. “Is Mike Dean locked in the toilet? “
I’ll be honest, I am pretty confused.
Updated
59 mins: “Yikes, I hope Neto’s injury isn’t serious,” says a worried Peter Oh. “Kavanagh and Osborn couldn’t possibly be justified in their hex and jinx claims, could they? If Alisson and Ederson pull up lame before the World Cup, I’m gonna have a lot to answer for.”
57 mins: Rice lifts a pass out to Bowen on the right, from where he volleys a cross into the six-yard box but Travers holds on.
Oh no … Tavernier is on the deck in pain now. They do still have one change left to make …
55 mins: Anthony and Zemura are stripped and ready to come on for Bournemouth. They need a bit of creativity and guile on the pitch because they look incredibly blunt.
Lerma goes into the book for a ludicrous lunge on Scamacca from distance and catches him just below the knee. I think that is very much a red card …
53 mins: Benrahma is justifying place in the team. His latest involvement sees him thwack a dipping shot from 30 yards but it goes just over the bar. He follows it up soon after with a sliced effort from the edge of the box that flies wide.
Updated
51 mins: Benrahma swings in a cross from the left but it defeats all his teammates, including a lunging Soucek at the back post.
Down the other end, Johnson kicks the ball out of play because Kehrer has lost his boot. Bournemouth do not give it back – and nor should they – resulting in a few boos.
49 mins: “So Sean Dyche and Jamie Carragher on Sky say it’s a goal, no problem. I was watching on US tv and Robbie Earle and Danny Higginbotham both say it’s a clear handball,” says Charles Robinson.
“Which is the truth? Is there any real truth? Philosophically speaking, can truth be subjective, or is there only one real truth?”
There is no truth in football.
47 mins: West Ham have started where they let off by dominating possession in the first couple of minutes.
Second half
Here we go again!
Neto is off and Mark Travers is on for Bournemouth.
Carragher and Dyche thinks it is a legal goal. They would be fuming if it went against them, I know that.
Ian Sargeant emails: “Watching this in an American themed sports bar in our Mexican hotel - so unlikely to hear any pundits given the soft metal being played at 120 decibels but the thought occurs that that is 4 consecutive goals at home that probably shouldn’t have stood (after the 3 v Fulham).
“Does that mean we are a big club now?”
MASSIVE.
Gerrard out, Emery in.
“I think that’s one of those where the decision is correct but the rule/law is a bad one,” Samuel Campbell offers. “Doesn’t make it any easier to swallow for Bournemouth.”
The law is an ass.
Half-time: West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth
On balance, West Ham have looked the better team in the opening 45 minutes but they are lucky to be ahead after Kehrer basically caught the corner before Zouma scored. Considering Bournemouth are now without their No 9 and have a limping goalkeeper, it could be a tricky second half ahead.
45+3 mins: The important thing is: we will be getting a lot of interpretations of the handball rule from pundits at half-time.
GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth (Zouma, 45)
A West Ham corner is swung in by Bowen, it hits Kehrer and is headed back into the six-yard box by Soucek and then flicks off both Downes and Zouma and lands into the bottom corner. VAR takes a look to see if the ball hit Kehrer on the hands (I think it did) but the referees do not think it is against the rules. I’d be fuming if I was a Bournemouth fan.
Updated
44 mins: Benrahma cuts in from the left and takes aim but his shot is blocked before it can test Neto.
Solanke is down again and taking his boot off. Moore is coming on.
42 mins: A backpass reaches Neto and he takes a touch before clearing to show his fight leg is still functioning.
“Seems Peter Oh’s jinx came about 2 months early... hate to see it,” says Harriet Osborn.
40 mins: Solanke is keeping the physio busy with an ankle problem caused by Kehrer during his latest attempt. He wanders off with a shake of the head but quickly returns. Meanwhile … Neto is having a good old stretch in the box in the hope he can carry on after Travers prepared himself to come on.
38 mins: It turns out Neto cannot carry on and Travers is prepared to come on.
Bournemouth break through Solanke after he intercepts an errant pass and drives from the halfway line into the West Ham box from where he fires a shot straight at Fabianski. The striker then goes down injured … this is going badly for Bournemouth.
36 mins: Neto has a couple of minutes of treatment but eventually gets back up and sends the physio on his way. He does not take the goal kick, however, leaving it to Senesi. Can he carry on if he cannot kick the ball?
34 mins: Scamacca does well to hold up the ball and drive for the Bournemouth box. The ball eventually makes it out to Benrahma whose pull back is intercepted by Cook and cleared.
Kehrer soon takes a shot from 40 yards and it whistles well wide. There is a problem for Neto who then goes down and looks to have a muscle problem.
32 mins: While Smith is being treated for what looks like a shoulder problem, the remaining players go for a drink and chinwag with their coaches. Smith is back up and ready to go again.
30 mins: Benrahma collects the ball 25 yards from goal, gets it out of his feet and looks to dart for the box, only to have his ankles clipped but the referee disagrees with the West Ham player’s version of events. And Mr Coote is right because the contact is minimal.
Smith is down for Bournemouth after a heavy landing.
28 mins: Another whipped Cresswell cross comes into the box but Neto takes decisive action to claim.
26 mins: It is all West Ham currently but Bournemouth are keeping them at bay.
24 mins: Tavernier cuts in from the right and looks to curl the ball into the top corner from 25 yards but his shot is pretty wildly and lands a long way behind the goal.
Down the other end … Cresswell swings in a dangerous cross to the near post but Senesi is there to turn back behind. The second is sent to the back post where Scamacca gets a head on the ball and immediately claims for a handball after it makes contact with Cook on the floor but the referee is not interested.
22 mins: Scamacca latches onto a ball down the line from Cresswell, he flashes it across to Soucek whose scuffed shot is saved by Neto. The flag then goes up against the Italian who is turns out is onside. West Ham are certainly on top now.
20 mins: Three chances in a matter of seconds for the Hammers. Johnson is smartly found on the right by Bowen. The full-back pulls the ball back for Benrahma who miskicks it but it falls to Downes to shoot only to his effort blocked, the ball then runs out to Cresswell to whack first time at goal where Neto is waiting to tip it over.
Updated
18 mins: Bournemouth break through Tavernier but he attempts an utterly dreadful cross in a failed attempt to find Solanke, only achieving in whacking the ball out for a goal-kick.
16 mins: The ball has gone flat! Whatever next?! Most things inside the London Stadium seem a little flat, to be fair. We need some excitement people.
14 mins: Bournemouth put the West Ham defence under a degree of pressure, causing Fabianski to panic and clear the ball straight out of play over Johnson’s head.
“Oh Peter,” says Justin Kavanagh. “You’ve gone and put the hex on Brazilian keepers now. The curse of the MBM commentary commenter surely means that the Seleção will now lose the World Cup final on a penalty shoot-out with their netminder skying the last penalty a la Roberto Baggio. (Or David Harvey, for younger readers).”
12 mins: Cresswell swings in a cross from the left that lands on top of Soucek’s head 10 yards out but the midfielder gets under the ball and sends his effort well over the bar.
10 mins: Scamacca is in late on Senesi but the referee plays advantage. The Bournemouth defender is left with a momentary limp.
8 mins: Bournemouth have their first real spell of possession and it ends with West Ham needing to scramble the ball clear after the ball is chipped into the box and Solanke stretches to nudge it past Fabianski but a mixture of goalkeeper and defender keep the ball out of the net.
Updated
6 mins: Scamacca receives the ball in the box and turns Mepham before sending in a dangerous cross into the six-yard box, only to see Senesi clear.
West Ham win a free-kick on the left flank just outside the box. Benrahma decides to shoot but he whacks it straight into the sidenetting.
4 mins: Poor control from Johnson on the touchline results in him giving a throw-in away. Moyes is already out in his technical area shouting instructions to his players and possibly making a few tactical tweaks.
It is all a touch subdued in east London currently.
2 mins: West Ham have had pretty much all the ball in the opening stages but it has mainly been in the middle of the park.
Updated
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The teams wander through the bubbles onto the pitch.
Updated
“If I’m not mistaken,” you are not Peter Oh, “Bournemouth’s keeper Murara Neto is one of three Brazil international keepers who are regular starters in the Premier League! (Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Man City’s Ederson are the others.) Is this indicative of some sort of golden age of number ones from the South American footballing giant?”
It certainly looks like it.
It looks like Unai Emery is on his way back to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa. He must be desperate to prove himself in England.
I always forget Kevin Nolan is part of the West Ham backroom staff.
Updated
This cracking Donald McRae interview with Micah Richards is well worth your time.
Good to see Benrahma start tonight for West Ham. An exciting player who has done well in his cameos and deserves the chance to show what he can do for longer.
One of West Ham’s absentees …
Teams
West Ham: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Zouma, Kehrer, Rice, Soucek, Downes, Bowen, Benrahma, Scamacca.
Subs: Areola, Randolph, Coufal, Fornals, Antonio, Lanzini, Obgonna, Coventry, Emerson.
Bournemouth: Neto, Fredericks, Senesi, Mepham, Smith, Christie, Lerma, Cook, Billing, Tavernier, Solanke.
Subs: Travers, Stephens, Rothwell, Stacey, Stanislas, Moore, Pearson, Anthony, Zemura.
Hello
Gary O’Neil returns to one of his former clubs, West Ham, still titled as caretaker manager despite a fine record since taking over from Scott Parker. He has been in temporary change so long he is now on the third British prime minister of his reign.
Bournemouth suffered their first loss under O’Neil in midweek at home to Southampton. That defeat means O’Neil has his first challenge as his managerial career and West Ham is a bad place to arrive needing a little pick me up.
The Hammers sit two points above the relegation zone with 11 points from as many games but they have won their past four home fixtures. Another victory tonight would lift them from 17th into 10th, a sign of how tight it is in the lower half of the table. Meanwhile three points for Bournemouth would send them into the top half.
The teams have scored 19 goals in 22 matches between them so do not expect a ripsnorter of a match at the London Stadium.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 8pm BST
