The Hammers finally found the energy to progress into the Carabao Cup second-round as they came from behind to secure a 3-1 victory over Portsmouth at London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
A Taty Castellanos double - sandwiching Jarrod Bowen’s strike – eventually did the trick for a West Ham United side looking short of match-fitness and lacking cohesion in the opening exchanges.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s team fell behind to Adrian Segečić’s deflected 25-yarder on 33 minutes much to the delight of the 9,000 travelling Pompey supporters in the all-time record English Football League Cup first-round crowd of 53,369 that, controversially, also included recently-resigned joint-chair and largest shareholder, David Sullivan.
“We didn’t start the game very well, we gave away corners and conceded,” admitted Nuno. “We hadn’t been playing together but once we started to combine and score, we went on to have a very good game.
“Any other noise that comes from outside cannot be allowed to distract us, though, and we must just focus on the game and do our job. That’s what the players did today.”
Indeed, stirring from their early slumber, Nuno’s team – a mixture of youth and experience – equalised two minutes before the interval when Mohamadou Kanté cleverly enabled Castellanos to sweep home from ten yards.
And skipper Jarrod Bowen – who has commendably committed himself to relegated West Ham United for the upcoming season – then fired his side ahead with a deflected 20-yarder on the stroke of half-time before inviting Castellanos to seal victory with a downward header, five minutes after the break.
“It’s a good start, especially to win our first game at home,” enthused the Hammers head coach after those three quick-fire goals either side of the interval silenced the Pompey chimes. “There were so many fans in the stadium and we cannot thank them enough. It was amazing.
“I’m delighted that two of our forwards scored because it boosts their confidence but it’s not just about Jarrod and Taty because many other players are showing their commitment. They are dedicating themselves to the football club and we’re going to need them all because we have a long journey in front of us.
“There’s still a lot of work ahead but we know what we can expect against Championship sides and it’s all about competing with them.”
While Edson Álvarez was handed a rare start, the Hammers head coach refused to be drawn on the notable absences of several senior players including Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“Today, we had to decide upon our best squad,” he insisted, clearly preferring to concentrate on the youngsters he had drafted into his winning line-up. “Lewis Orford was good and Kanté showed energy and they’ve been so helpful for us in terms of making-up the numbers in our squad and their day-to-day work.
“It’s up to us to try and develop the young talents so that one day we can see a large percentage of our squad coming from the Academy. That has to be the vision for the future.”
And with Tottenham Hotspur wide-man, Manor Solomon, reportedly on the brink of a £7million move to the Hammers, Nuno again remained tight-lipped on any upcoming transfer activity.
“Respecting our own players and those at other clubs, I’m not going to speak about names but there will be movements and, although we don’t have much time, we cannot afford to make mistakes,” he concluded ahead of Sunday’s tricky opening EFL Championship trip to Burnley (kick-off 4 pm). “We’re working hard to bring the right boys into the club, players who can carry energy and improve us.”
Share