West Ham had a great trip to south London in the Premier League on Saturday as they beat Crystal Palace 2-0, but one moment will be remembered more than the scoreline.
It was Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek who opened the scoring for the Hammers at Selhurst Park in the second half.
As he rushed across to celebrate with the travelling West Ham fans, the electric advertising hoarding collapsed under the weight of the fans leaning on it.
That is not uncommon at football grounds, but a young ballboy was positioned in front of it and he began to be crushed beneath it in a very uncomfortable position.
Luckily, Soucek and Jarrod Bowen spotted the boy straight away in the celebrations and managed to lift the hoarding and drag him out before the situation got worse. It could have been far more damaging for the youngster than it actually was.
A happy ending
Bowen was asked about the situation after the match by a reporter and he provided a very positive update, confirming that the boy was uninjured and had been given Bowen‘s shirt to make him feel better.
“Yeah, I just managed to grab him out as quickly as possible,” he told BeIn Sport after full-time. “It was just instinct to do it. I’ve seen him after the game, he’s got my top now. He’s smiling. He’s all good now, which is good to see.”
West Ham got a second goal not long after but the celebrations proved to be much safer for that goal. New signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka was instantly dangerous for West Ham against one of his former sides.
He signed for the club from Manchester United earlier in the summer and made his debut at Selhurst Park.
