Journalist Malik Ouzia was encouraged by Jarrod Bowen’s latest performance for West Ham.
It was Bowen who was at the centre of the controversy coming out of the Hammers’ 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
As the forward looked to pounce on a loose ball he was deemed to have fouled Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy by VAR after Maxwell Cornet appeared to have equalised for the Irons.
The decision was described as a ‘shambles’ by skipper Declan Rice as David Moyes’ side were made to walk away with nothing and find themselves in the bottom three after six matches.
It has been a slow start to the season for the London Stadium outfit and also a quiet opening for last season’s top scorer Bowen, who is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League goals column this season but Ouzia did feel he looked more like himself at the weekend.
Writing for the Evening Standard alongside a 6/10 match rating he wrote:
‘Been a slow start to the season but better here. Tested Mendy with brilliant long-range volley that forced corner from which goal came.’
The former Hull attacker led his teammates for shots and successful dribble attempts as he completed all four (SofaScore) as well as providing four crosses and completing nine of 11 passes.
Last term the 25-year-old produced 12 goals and 12 assists in 36 top-flight appearances which earned him a call-up to the England national side and with the final international break before November’s World Cup fast approaching he will be hoping to rekindle that form over the next couple of weeks in order to ensure he has a fighting chance of being assigned a seat on the plane to Qatar and Ouzia seems to think he is nearing those levels once more.
