West Ham star Jarrod Bowen helps young mascot by wearing headphones
Jarrod Bowen helped a young fan’s dreams come true by wearing matching earmuffs as he walked into West Ham’s game against Liverpool.
The winger and the mascot next to him both wore noise-canceling headphones as the teams performed at the London Stadium ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League game.
Earlier this season, former Aston Villa striker Danny Ings – now a West Ham player – did the same as a gesture of support for mascot Riley Regan, 9, who has autism and struggles with loud noises.
The young Villa fan was afraid people would make fun of him for wearing the headphones, so Ings wore one too so he wasn’t alone.
It came as the topic of club mascot treatment came under the spotlight after Arsenal players were criticized for ignoring a young girl when signing her shirt.
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen wore noise-canceling headphones as a show of support for a young mascot ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League game with Liverpool
The pair walked onto the pitch from the London Stadium tunnel through the bubbles
West Ham’s players and mascots line up for their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool
Danny Ings, while at Aston Villa earlier this season, wore headphones as a gesture of support for nine-year-old Riley Regan, who has autism and is afraid of loud noises
Bowen led the young Hammers fan onto the field from the tunnel, blowing the traditional bubble before kick-off.
But it wasn’t West Ham’s night as they lost 2-1 to Liverpool. They took the lead after 12 minutes through Lucas Paqueta, but Cody Gakpo equalized a few minutes later.
Bowen saw a goal disallowed for offside early in the second half and Joel Matip scored Liverpool’s winner in the 67th minute.
A video earlier this month showed Arsenal players and manager Mikel Arteta passing eight-year-old Olivia Murray and signing her replica top, but apparently not acknowledging the youngster as she stared at them in admiration.
One of the stars was Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, chosen by Olivia as her favorite player in the match schedule, who approached her with his earphones in before quickly signing the shirt and walking off.
But after criticism from celebrities including Nick Knowles, Laura Woods and Piers Morgan, Olivia’s dad has defended the players – insisting the footage was just a “tiny window” into her day. He also shared a photo of her holding Odegaard’s hand.
“My daughter had a blast being the mascot for @Arsenal,” Mr Murray tweeted. “There was only a small window to meet the players and she really enjoyed it. Odegaard is her favorite player, so it was very special to keep his hand on the field.’
Manager David Moyes was left furious after West Ham were denied a late penalty when Thiago’s arm hit the ball while challenging Ings inside the box.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard appears to be ignoring a young mascot in footage the club shared this weekend
The Gunners have been heavily criticized on social media for appearing to ignore the girl
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan was one of many who took to Twitter to slam the club over the video
However, Olivia’s dad has since jumped to the players’ defense, insisting the footage was just a “little window” into her day – which ended in a 2-2 draw. He also shared a photo of her holding Odegaard’s hand
The defeat means West Ham cannot escape the relegation battle – they are five points above the bottom three, but they still have a game credit for some of the teams below them.
The Irons are also in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League and are set to play AZ Alkmaar over two legs next month.
Bowen said of the game, “We knew they were going to have a lot of possession, they’re a good team, there’s no denying that with the way they play. There were times when we had to do without the ball and there were times when we had to put pressure.
“I think we’ve struck the right balance, but the goals are just disappointing for us.
“I think we’ve been at the level we expect of ourselves in recent weeks. I thought it was even tonight, there were times when we looked really dangerous.’
Bowen garnered much praise on Twitter for his support for the young mascot
He added about the penalty decision: ‘One day you get them, the next day you don’t. It was more like he jumped in and the ball hit his back arm so I thought he would be given.
“Tonight his arm was out and the ball hit his arm. It may look soft, but when you deviate from the rules and impose penalties, you have to be consistent. We didn’t get it and that’s disappointing.’