JARROD BOWEN dampened Southampton’s holiday cheer to settle a controversial match on the South Coast.
The England striker poked home the winner to spoil Ivan Juric’s bow as Saints manager.
Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring for the Hammers at St Marys[/caption]
The England striker broke the deadlock after the break[/caption]
The match was delayed for a lengthy injury to West Ham stopper Lukasz Fabianski[/caption]
There were cheers from Southampton fans as keeper Aaron Ramsdale knocked the ball long in the early stages, indicating a change of approach to sacked boss Russell Martin.
But the Hammers were the more dangerous team, with Carlos Soler smashing the bar after 4 minutes.
West Ham were later forced into a change, with Lukasz Fabianski stretchered off after a horror collision.
The two teams toiled into the second half, where referee Lewis Smith downgraded a red card for West Ham’s Guido Rodriguez to a yellow after VAR’s intervention.
It would be Bowen who had the final say, poking in Niclas Fullkrug’s cross.
Saints pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but fell short as their Premier League goal drought extended past seven hours.
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Guido Rodriguez was sent off for the Hammers- before a VAR reprieve[/caption]
