West Ham beat Australian side Perth Glory 6-2 in their own backyard to continue their winning start to pre-season.
A brace from Jarrod Bowen and goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Emerson Palmieri, and Divin Mubama complemented a Perth own goal to seal a comprehensive victory Down Under.
There were plenty of positives to take for the Hammers: Jarrod Bowen was on fire, a future-fighting Scamacca looked lively, and the young Daniel Chesters put his name on the map.
Equally, the Irons looked out of sorts for swathes of the game without Declan Rice‘s stabilising presence and they defended poorly against a distinctly average A-League team.
Here are five takeaways for West Ham United on the day they officially, finally, entered their post-Rice era.
David Moyes saw his West Ham team run riot in a 6-2 win but there are issues to address
Bowen and Emerson connection bears fruit
Jarrod Bowen was a gust of fresh air when he came on for the second half. His left foot was to be feared, cracking off powerful shots and weaving sorcerous crosses.
Ten minutes after the break, Emerson fizzed a ball across the box and Bowen was there to flick it in effortlessly with the outside of his right boot – a slick flourish the co-commentator lauded as ‘very, very, very, cultured’.
Within 15 minutes, he repaid the favour, cutting in from the right and dinking a beautiful ball over the top for Emerson to head in. And in the dying minutes, he got on the end of Aaron Cresswell’s set-up to prod home for his second of the day.
There was little question that Bowen was the outstanding player, and he was duly rewarded player of the match for his cameo.
On a wider point, West Ham had lots of joy from crosses and will be encouraged by the mix of direct play and short, sharp passes they were able to achieve.
Jarrod Bowen had a majestic 45 minutes, scoring twice and setting up Emerson
Scamacca making a statement
Whether he was fighting for his West Ham future or trying to make himself the most attractive crystal in the shop window, there was no denying Gianluca Scamacca put in a fighter’s performance here.
His link-up play with Pablo Fornals teased fans about the joys that could lie ahead. His lovely flick put Fornals through 19 minutes in, and when the Spaniard was brought down in the box, Scamacca was the one to step up and thud the penalty home with aplomb.
It wasn’t a perfect performance. He skied a glaring opportunity from close range when Perth goalkeeper Oliver Sail misplaced a lob directly to him, but all in all, this was an impactful showing from Scamacca, getting on the end of through balls, working openings.
An injury-hit debut season in London saw the Italian score just three Premier League goals and there have been hints that he is hankering for a move to Roma. But after joining from Sassuolo last summer for £35m and penning a five-year deal, one feels he has more to give – and to prove – in a West Ham shirt.
Gianluca Scamacca converted his penalty to give West Ham a 2-0 lead over Perth Glory
Chesters’ bid for first-team football
If Daniel Chesters was looking for a way to tranquillise the nerves, his first 65 seconds on the pitch would have done the trick.
Fornals released the 21-year-old behind his marker and, after a deft turn, he played a cross which deflected off defender Darryl Lachman and popped into the goal. 1-0.
Such was the story of the day for Chesters, who has only made two competitive appearances for the Hammers: buzzing around on the right flank, showboating in a productive way, nipping behind and putting in crosses.
Breaking into the first team is a tall order after an unexceptional loan spell at Colchester United until January, but he was a tangible presence today, especially in the first half.
Other youngsters such as 19-year-old midfielder Freddie Potts, who recently signed a three-year deal, and defender Levi Laing, aged 20, also impressed.
Daniel Chesters was causing trouble all match on the right flank for the Hammers
West Ham must replace Rice
Call it harsh in such after big win, but Rice’s absence was felt in this game. For all their electric spells, the Irons had long periods where they were sloppy in possession, lacking vitality showing for the ball, and not hugely committed to winning it back. For want of a better word, they occasionally lacked oomph.
This is not down to Flynn Downes, who by all accounts had a respectable game. But it goes some way to settling the questions raised by David Moyes in May over the midfielder who would act as Rice’s deputy.
He said: ‘Flynn has done a good job and he’s progressing well. I’ve said many times it can take time when you bring in boys from the Championship.
‘We’ve trusted him, we’ve played him in a lot of big games and he’s done a good job. Is he a complete replacement for Declan Rice? I’m not sure about that.
For a man with just one Premier League season under his belt, Downes is doing fine. But West Ham should splurge some of that £105m to bring in an immediate replacement for Rice.
Flynn Downes played well but West Ham missed Declan Rice’s presence in the middle
Defensive frailties are present
West Ham should not have conceded two goals against a sub-par Perth Glory. They haven’t finished in the top half of the A-League for four seasons and were no great shakes today.
Granted, this was the second game of their pre-season, but West Ham were exposed when Perth got going.
Kurt Zouma, Luizao, and substitute Angelo Ogbonna were assertive stepping out but sometimes overzealous, following the ball to the point where gaps were exposed and opposing attackers could nip in to devastating effect. Had Łukasz Fabiański not produced some acrobatic saves, their Australian counterparts could have had a couple more.
When Stefan Colakovski whipped in a cross on the stroke of half-time, Luizao was unfortunate to turn the ball into his own goal, but the Hammers had no excuses for the second.
Joshua Anasmo was given free reign to storm through the heart of the defence for the second, charging through a sea of players to tee up Daniel Bennie for Perth’s second.
It’s hard to knock Moyes’ men for a match where they scored six, but the defensive structure could have been tighter today.
Kurt Zouma was assertive for West Ham but they often lacked defensive cohesion
