- Jarrod Bowen scored late in the game as West Ham triumphed over Bournemouth
- The Hammers had to fight to get through to the third round
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After an 88th-minute League Cup draw that was almost forgotten, Jarrod Bowen gave Julen Lopetegui the birthday present of a place in the third round.
Little did the Hammers captain know, the ball hitting his midriff and wrong-footing Bournemouth keeper Neto after Mohammed Kudus had fired a shot on target, but it was enough to secure victory against a wasteful Bournemouth side. An appeal was made for handball by the Cherries, but replays proved inconclusive and with VAR not in use, the goal stood.
The attendance of 47,381 was the highest for a match at this stage of the competition since 1981. However, for most of the match the crowd had little cause for enthusiasm, which is not unusual for a first round tie between two Premier League clubs.
Lopetegui had originally made eight changes to the team that beat Crystal Palace, but the Hammers boss was forced to make a last-minute change, with Vladimir replacing Aaron Cresswell in the line-up after the left-back was forced off during the warm-up. Summer signings Niclas Fullkrug, Crysensio Summerville, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo were all given their full debuts, while James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Lukasz Fabianski also made the team.
Andoni Iraola meanwhile made seven changes, with youngster Daniel Jebbison, who joined from Sheffield United in the summer, making his first start of the season.
Jarrod Bowen scored the winning goal in the closing stages as West Ham beat Bournemouth 1-0 in the Carabao Cup
Bowen’s late intervention means the Hammers are through to the third round of the Carabao Cup
West Ham’s Edson Alvarez tries to stop Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier
Both teams struggled to get going in the first half, with the first real chance falling to the home side five minutes before the break. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s drive run and cutback found Bowen, but he could only pass the ball to Fullkrug, who was unable to shoot. Summerville then fired over the bar from close range.
Dango Ouattara almost scored a brilliant goal just before half-time, but his improvised shot from a cross by James Hill was well saved by Fabianski.
Summerville almost broke the deadlock immediately after the restart, but his curling shot flew just wide of the far post. Bournemouth began to gain the upper hand and had a flurry of chances, with Evanilson going close before Marcus Tavernier sent a free-kick against the crossbar.
Bournemouth continued to press, but to no avail. Evanilson was the next to hit the woodwork with a shot from a difficult angle.
The Hammers finally produced a good move when Lucas Paqueta played a chipped pass to Bowen, who found Kudus on the right. His shot went towards goal before deflecting off Bowen’s chest and over a helpless Neto.