Kudos to the Cherries. It mustn’t have been easy coming into this match after being robbed of a draw against Liverpool last weekend. But they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Callum Wilson showed he’s the goods with the first hat trick of the new season. West Ham were no shows in the first half which makes their victory over the Gunners the mystic stuff of Norse runes. Bournemouth at the break were up by a Wilson brace courtesy of his speed and opportunism and some rank defending especially Aaron Creswell.
West Ham’s attack was limited by the absence of Enner Valencia, Andy Carroll, and Mauro Zarate due to injuries. The owners, Chris Gold and David Sullivan, smut merchants who made their fortune peddling T and A, defended their transfer inaction pointing to their teats run dry with Carroll milking them of all human kindness with his injury absenteeism. It was veteran Mark Noble who got the Hammers on the scoreboard brought down by Joshua King in the penalty area and converting the spot kick. Cheikhou Kouyate drew the Hammers level minutes later with a smashed shot into the upper reaches of the goal after Artur Boruc parried Diafra Sakho’s attempt right to him.
Bournemouth rallied once again through Marc Pugh’s poised finish before Carl Jenkinson, on loan from Arsenal, struggling to contain Max Gradel, finally imploded pulling down the winger in the penalty area and was sent off. Wilson knocked off the penalty and the Cherries had a two goal cushion. Modiba Maiga coming off the bench made it much more interesting with the Hammers third goal. The Cherries finally got their first win surviving a last second scare as Eunan O’Kane scrambled to clear the ball off the goalline from a Dmitri Payet corner.