West Ham beat Bolton 3-2 on Tuesday night to go top of the Championship for at least a day or so.
The Irons faced a tough challenge away at Steven Schumacher’s side, who started the game brightly. Bolton put the visitors under pressure in the opening minutes of the game, with Kyliane Dong posing problems down the Hammers’ right.
But it was Nuno Espírito Santo’s men who struck first. Kyle Walker-Peters’ cross wasn’t dealt with by the hosts as the ball was deflected to Pablo. The Portuguese striker was denied by Gavin Bazunu in the Bolton goal, but Jarrod Bowen was on hand to convert the rebound on 13 minutes.
However, West Ham’s lead only lasted six minutes. After a good move down the Bolton left, Konstantinos Mavropanos’ defensive clearance fell to Ethan Erhahon, whose ferocious strike fizzed off the Greek defender and into the back of the net to level the tie.
Things went from bad to worse for the Irons within the next ten minutes as Walker-Peters fouled Dong in the West Ham penalty box. Rúben Rodrigues stepped up from twelve yards and smashed the ball past Mads Hermansen to give Bolton a 2-1 lead.
But like their opponents, West Ham responded well to going behind, and moments later they were level again. Arne Engels whipped in a superb free-kick, finding Mavropanos, who headed the ball home. It was an all-action first half, as the sides went in level at the break.
The start of the second half wasn’t without its chances. Mohamadou Kanté spurned an excellent opportunity after some good work from Walker-Peters on the wing. Substitute Manor Solomon also went close, but saw his deflected strike smothered by Bazunu.
However, in the last fifteen minutes of the tie, West Ham found themselves in front again. Joël Veltman found Bowen expertly inside the Bolton box, and the skipper applied an impressive finish on the stretch to just about slide the ball home.
Nuno’s men managed the game fairly well in the last few minutes of the game. Bowen showed his quality once again from a corner kick, gliding past the Bolton defenders to run down the clock.
There were one or two nervy moments, but the Irons got over the line to record their third consecutive victory in the Championship.
The win puts the Hammers top of the table for now, and even if they don’t end the gameweek on top, they have turned things around expertly in recent games.
Nuno’s side are playing with freedom and quality right now and are proving to be an exciting attacking side as well. Wrexham at home on Friday. Hopefully, West Ham can keep this winning streak going.
COME ON YOU IRONS!
