Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus showcased their prowess as West Ham surged into the Premier League’s top six with a commanding 2-0 victory over a lackluster Manchester United at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Erik ten Hag’s visiting team, buoyed by a morale-boosting draw against high-flying Liverpool last weekend at Anfield, had a golden opportunity in the turgid first half to take the lead but youngster Alejandro Garnacho squandered a one-on-one chance against Alphonse Areola, leaving the visitors rueful for that missed chance.
While West Ham initially showed minimal attacking threat, they seized control 18 minutes from the final whistle. Bowen notched his 11th league goal of the season by making a briiliant run to capitalize on Lucas Paqueta’s exquisite pass.
The hosts doubled their advantage six minutes later when Paqueta set Kudus free to elegantly sidestep his marker and fire a precise shot into the far corner past Andre Onana.
Before scoring those two goals, West Ham had a chance to go ahead through Bowen, but Onana did well to tip a powerful Bowen header from Ward-Prowse’s corner over the crossbar.
This result propels David Moyes’s men into sixth place, overtaking The Red Devils and closing the gap to the top four to just four points.
Manchester United, on the other hand, slips to eighth after their eighth league loss of the campaign, now trailing fourth-placed Manchester City by six points with an extra game played.
With this loss, United have now lost 20 times this year, their worst tally in 34 years.
Looking ahead, Erik ten Hag’s side is set to host Aston Villa on Boxing Day, while West Ham faces Arsenal on Thursday, December 28.
