David Moyes singled out the ingenuity and incisiveness of Jarrod Bowen after the West Ham winger was utilised as a makeshift centre-forward in the absence of Michail Antonio on Monday evening.
The 30-year-old failed a late fitness test on the day, rendering him unavailable for the clash against Sheffield United at the London Stadium. Despite the absence of the Hammers’ main centre-forward, the Irons looking nothing short of lethal in front of goal, cruising to a 3-0 win.
Bowen’s creative play drew a penalty and enabled a well-worked set piece routine and a last-gasp strike to seal defeat for the Blades and catapult West Ham into a European spot, kept out of the Champions League places only on goal difference.
Bowen commanded the Hammers’ front line aided by Jesse Lingard and Manuel Lanzini on either side, with Algerian dynamo Said Benrahma introduced later on.
Despite the 24-year-old not scoring, Moyes was keen to ensure that the home-grown talent was not left out of the plaudits the manager felt he had justified. The Irons boss told the Evening Standard:
When you get injuries and suspensions you’ve got to find other ways of solving it. Mickey’s [Antonio] really important to us but I thought Jarrod played really well up front and supported around with Jesse, Lanzini and Said at different times.
We wanted to cause problems in a different way and thankfully it worked.
It was a great professional job the players did tonight. Sheffield United played well and have been playing well. They made some chances but we defended well and took our chances.
Read West Ham Verdict
In Antonio’s absence, Moyes will need to scour some more alternatives if he is to prefer experienced options to fill the void instead of Bowen
Antonio himself previously played in the 24-year-old usual wide position, and Bowen seems to have done enough to persuade Moyes to utilise him as a centre-forward in future games if the usual first choice is unavailable.
