David Moyes will hope this was a sign of things to come for Jarrod Bowen. This also applies to Gareth Southgate.
The forward had gone five games without a goal prior to this encounter, a barren spell that coincided with a run of eight without a win for West Ham, leaving head coach David Moyes’ future shrouded in uncertainty.
But Bowen is back; his hat-trick here at the London Stadium eased the pressure on his boss.
How grateful Moyes must be that Bowen performed so emphatically on an evening that it could easily have become unpleasant.
You can bet Southgate, England’s bottom-dollar boss, has noticed this too.
Jarrod Bowen scored the first hat-trick of his career to help West Ham beat Brentford
The result eases the pressure on David Moyes after West Ham ended an eight-match run without a win
Bowen’s hat-trick takes him to 17 goals this season and boosts his England hopes
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It’s now 17 for the season for Bowen. That’s an impressive return, which should propel him to his first senior international tournament.
Southgate names his squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium on March 14 – his final selection before finally naming a 23-man European Championship contingent for 2024.
Having missed out on England’s 2022 World Cup squad, Bowen is certainly a serious contender to make the plane this time.
“You always wait for that third one, but it never comes,” Bowen said.
‘I was so excited to get it. Since the beginning of the year we have not been at the level we would like to be. Tonight we took a good step, but there is still a lot of work to be done.’
Bowen’s efforts here helped calm parts of a disillusioned fanbase that you feared would turn had the game not gone in their favor.
The recent fan protests against Moyes have been uncomfortable to watch. But this was the Scottish evening. And Bowen’s, of course.
As for Brentford, their fears of being dragged into a relegation battle will only have increased after this.
Bowen gave West Ham the perfect start by firing his team ahead in the fifth minute
The attacker completed a move from close range to put West Ham 2-0 after seven minutes
Brentford faced a daunting task after Bowen’s early brace at the London Stadium
The news that Everton’s points deduction was reduced to six earlier in the day will not have helped the mood.
They are still five points ahead of the danger zone. But with three of their next four games coming against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, there are no guarantees of immediate improvement after a run of three consecutive defeats.
‘I am irritated by the inconsistency of performances. I know it’s there. I’m confident we’ll find it again soon,” Frank said.
If ever there was an ad to avoid being late to a football match, this was it.
Three goals in the first thirteen minutes and an investigation on the pitch to boot.
West Ham raced into a two-goal lead within seven minutes, both goals scored by the electric Bowen.
The England international’s first, in the sixth minute, fired a powerful effort past Mark Flek’s near post via Emerson’s cutback from the left.
His second, a minute later, was almost a copy, but this time Vladimir Coufal ended up on the opposite flank after Zanka had lost possession.
As the crowd erupted, Brentford skipper Christian Norgaard animatedly led his colleagues inside for an impromptu debriefing.
Moyes, on the other hand, looked stony-faced despite his team’s start. Perhaps he knew what was coming when Neal Maupay’s finish past Alphonse Areola pulled one back for Brentford.
It was exactly what the doctor ordered for Thomas Frank’s team after their weak start.
For West Ham, this is yet another reminder of the defensive weaknesses that haunted their season; only Newcastle had conceded more goals of the entire team in the top 10 heading into this match.
Neal Maupay reduced the deficit after Keane Lewis-Potter’s splitting pass
The Brentford striker produced a clinical finish to restore Brentford’s hopes after a poor start
Bowen restored West Ham’s two-goal cushion in the second half after sending in a header
The striker drove away in celebration after completing the first hat-trick of his career
Ultimately the encounter found its balance, although Lucas Paqueta shot narrowly wide from Mohamed Kudus’ deep cross in the 21st minute.
Paqueta’s return to fitness comes as a timely boost for the Hammers, whose season has unraveled without their brilliant Brazilian.
It will take a while for the 26-year-old to get fully up to speed after a two-month absence with a knee injury. On his first appearance since early January there were clear signs of ring rust.
Yet West Ham clearly benefited from his presence here on Monday evening.
The second half started in controversial circumstances as Hammers assistant coach Kevin Nolan and Maupay emerged from the tunnel, engaged in a heated confrontation that led to both sides being pulled apart. Later in the match, members of the benches, including Nolan, clashed again.
Emerson Palmieri scored the goal of the evening, with the left back producing a drive from distance
Emerson’s shot from outside the penalty area flew past the helpless Mark Fleken into the Brentford goal
Yoane Wissa scored a late consolation for Brentford but the Bees suffered a 4–2 defeat
For a while during the opening substitutions of the second half, Brentford, who lost centre-back Ben Mee to injury in the 61st minute, looked most likely to score in their hunt for an equalizer.
But the Bees had no answer to Bowen’s brilliance; the striker’s third arrived in the 63rd minute – a close-range header from Kudus’ cross after some terrible Brentford marking before Emerson smashed home a fourth from outside the area.
Yoane Wissa scored a late second for Brentford, but by that point the match was over.