West Ham United have to settle for Premier League point

West Ham United were forced to settle for a late draw in their 2023/24 Premier League campaign curtain-raiser at the Vitality Stadium, where they had long looked set to kick off their new season with all three points.

Having bagged his memorable match-winner against Fiorentina, 97 days on, Euro-hero Jarrod Bowen carried on where he left off in Prague with another sensational strike to give David Moyes’ men a fantastic 51st-minute lead.

But there was to be no fairytale finish this time around as Dominic Solanke earned Bournemouth a share of the spoils with a late leveller.

The reset button now firmly pressed after Declan Rice had unforgettably hoisted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy in the Czech Republic, the Hammers returned to the bread and butter of the Premier League.

And having subsequently seen his skipper join Arsenal in a record £105m summer transfer, slowly but surely, Moyes has been on the patient hunt for new recruits.

But with Edson Álvarez lacking match-fitness following his midweek move from Ajax plus agreed deals for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and Manchester United’s Harry Maguire still not completely over the line, there was a dearth of new-found faces in the Scot’s opening day line-up.

Indeed, in a throwback to early June, Moyes named 10 of his victorious Fortuna Arena starters with Pablo Fornals coming into the void created by Rice’s departure, while Kurt Zouma was handed the skipper’s armband ahead of Maguire’s East End arrival.

Wasting not a second, the visiting supporters taunted the home fans with an instant rendition of ‘Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,’ as their side started firmly on the front foot with Fornals hooking an early 18-yarder wide of the right-hand post before Bowen embarked on a mazy run and also shot wide.

Despite steering the Cherries into 15th spot last time around – just one point and one place below the Moyes’ men – former Hammers midfielder Gary O’Neil had still departed during the close season and, now moving into the Vitality Stadium hot-seat, Andoni Iraola had handed debuts to new signings Max Aarons and Milos Kerkez.

A dozen minutes were on the clock when the hosts carved out their first opening of the season with Solanke getting the better of Nayef Aguerd but the supporting David Brooks could only curl his 18-yard effort wide of both Alphonse Areola and his right-hand upright.

With Manchester City target Lucas Paquetá, Saïd Benrahma, Fornals and Bowen combining at each and every opportunity, West Ham continued to press and, on the quarter-hour mark, only the woodwork denied the men in pristine white kits a deserved opener.

Another slick, free-flowing break saw Benrahma neatly play in Tomáš Souček but the Czech’s angled 10-yarder unluckily struck the far post before rebounding into keeper Neto’s clutches.

At the other end, Areola comfortably fielded Ryan Christie’s grass-cutter before an off-balance Zouma was forced to hook over his own angle after being hustled and hounded by the barnstorming Solanke.

Ten minutes before the break, Zouma arrived in the opposing area where he almost forced home Bowen’s deep corner but Philip cleared his lines and then Benrahma let fly with a dipping 18-yarder that cleared Neto’s bar by a whisker.

The unfortunate Bowen was harshly booked after Christie was sandwiched between the Hammers No.20 and Souček and, shortly afterwards, Brooks’ effort from the edge of the area saw Areola force a full-length save to keep it goalless at the break. 

And after Michail Antonio had been booked for an early second-half clash with Marcos Senesi, the French keeper had to be at this very best to then tip Brooks curling 18-yard effort over the bar.

Bournemouth may have emerged from the dressing room looking bright and breezy but within six minutes of the restart, West Ham took the wind out of their sails as they broke the deadlock, at last.

The sliding Fornals robbed Joe Rothwell inside the final third and that allowed Souček to prod the loose ball into the path of Bowen, who did not need to be asked twice as he unleashed an unstoppable, curling 20-yarder that gave Neto no chance as it whipped around the Brazilian’s outstretched right-glove and under the left-hand angle.

The Hammers celebrations could have been quickly curtailed but Areola was on hand once again to beat aside Solanke’s point blank shot and, after the injured Senesi (knee) and Jadon Anthony retired in place of Chris Mepham and Justin Kluivert, Rothwell gave another warning when he rocked the Frenchman’s crossbar with a dipping long-ranger.

No stranger to the South Coast, former Bournemouth and Southampton striker Danny Ings replaced Antonio for the final stages but it was to be a Cherries substitute who would make the most telling impact.

Sure enough, with just eight minutes remaining, Antoine Semenyo – on for Brooks – tried his luck with a low 25-yarder and fortune was on his side when the effort ricocheted off Souček leaving the supporting Solanke to round the helplessly-exposed Areola and tap-home the late-leveller that denied West Ham an opening-day victory.

AFC BOURNEMOUTH: Neto, Aarons (Hill 75), Kerkez, Zabarnyi, Senesi (Mepham 60), Rothwell, Philip, Brooks (Semenyo 75), Christie (Moore 68), Anthony (Kluivert 60), Solanke. Unused subs: Radu, Traoré, Kilkenny, Greenwood.

WEST HAM UNITED: Areola, Coufal (Kehrer 85), Emerson, Zouma, Aguerd, Souček, Paquetá (Cornet 90+4), Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio (Ings 78). Unused subs: Fabiański, Anang, Johnson, Ogbonna, Coventry, Mubama.

Booked: Bowen (39), Antonio (48), Emerson (87), Paquetá (90+3), Mepham (90+7).

Referee: Peter Bankes.