Premier League: Luton Town 1 West Ham Utd 2 – match report

Netting for the third successive match on his travels this season, away-day ace Jarrod Bowen took his tally for the season to three goals, when he gave West Ham United a 37th-minute lead following a Hatters’ howler from keeper Thomas Kaminski.

Skipper Kurt Zouma then doubled the Hammers advantage with a powerful header five minutes from time and, although Mads Andersen nodded home late on, that proved a mere consolation goal as luckless Luton slumped to the foot of the table.

The Hammers last played a competitive match at Kenilworth Road in 1994, when Scott Oakes – the son of a band member in Seventies pop group Showaddywaddy – fired David Pleat’s underdogs into the FA Cup semi-finals with a clinical hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Billy Bonds’ side.

But there were to be no Three Steps to Heaven for the Hatters this time around as West Ham simply Rock’n’Rolled their way to the Premier League summit for a few hours at least.

Following an opening weekend draw at Bournemouth (1-1) and subsequent victories over Chelsea (3-1) and Brighton & Hove Albion (3-1), David Moyes made just two changes from the side that had won on the south coast at the Amex Stadium, last Saturday.

Tomàš Souček (concussion) was forced to sit out as Saïd Benrahma came into the starting line-up, while Nayef Aguerd returned from suspension to replace Angelo Ogbonna, who was named on the bench alongside £38million capture from Ajax, Mohammed Kudus, who would make a late, cameo appearance.

The Hatters had already endured a Premier League baptism of fire with back-to-back away defeats at Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion but this was the first chance for the home supporters to see their side hosting their first top-flight encounter since 1992.

Luton may have beaten Gillingham (3-2) in the Carabao Cup on home turf in midweek but – some three decades on – this was the one that the locals had waited so patiently to see.

Certainly, it all made for a high-octane opening with Ross Barkley scuffing wide inside two minutes and with the tackles flying in during a frenetic start strikers Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo were using their physicality to make life uncomfortable for the Hammers rearguard.

With only Amari’i Bell, Alfie Doughty and Ryan Giles retaining their shirts, manager Rob Edwards made eight changes and that meant a starting spot for former Academy of Football product Reece Burke, while fellow graduates Pelly Mpanzu-Ruddock was named on the bench and the unfortunate Dan Potts sat out altogether with an ankle injury.

After Benrahma had driven an angled shot behind with the Hammers first attempt of the evening, Tahith Chong saw his 18-yarder charged down before Giles’ hanging left-wing cross had Alphonse Areola flapping in the balmy Bedfordshire night, ahead of Barkley again dragging wide.

Forcing two more flag-kicks in quick succession, Luton then saw Andersen steer his close-range header wide before Bowen climaxed a swift counter-attack with a 20-yard volley that flew inches wide of Kaminski’s left-hand upright.

Benrahma then sent a wayward long-ranger beyond the opposite post as the Hammers – with Edson Álvarez and James Ward-Prowse now diligently patrolling central midfield – began to get a foothold in the contest.

Andersen bravely threw his body on the line to block Álvarez’s stinging 20-yarder before Benrahma curled his third attempt of the evening well wide of the angle but at least West Ham were now building up a head of steam in the Luton half of the field.

And, on 37 minutes, Moyes’ boys broke the deadlock with an opener that Kaminski will not want to see replayed ever again.

Spotting his team-mate’s dashing run, Lucas Paquetá cleverly hooked towards the edge of the six-yard box, where Bowen powered his close-range header into Kaminski’s rib-cage and the embarrassed Belgian keeper could only watch in horror as the ball squirmed through his clutches and into the net.

‘Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that’ rejoiced the 1,151 visiting fans crammed into the stadium while the distraught home supporters – the wind taken out of their sails with that goalkeeping howler – kept their spirits up with their ‘Conference champions, you’ll never sing that’ retort.

Indeed, as the first-half drew to a close, those fans might even have been celebrating a leveller but neither Adebayo nor Morris could find the target from close range while Chong somehow chested wide of the post when it looked easier to guide home.

Five minutes after the break, though, Emerson sent an angled 15-yarder inside that particular goal-frame but his celebrations were quickly cut short by the sight of an offside flag against provider Michail Antonio.

Another swift break then saw Benrahma denied by the back-tracking Barkley, while, in the Hammers six-yard box, Adebayo just could not find a way past the helplessly-exposed Areola before the otherwise impressive Burke nodded another Luton corner over the bar.

On the hour mark, Benrahma’s low shot was saved by the more assured-looking Kaminski and with Luton’s energy levels now visibly diminishing that was the cue for Edwards to go for the triple switch as Mpanzu, Issa Kaboré plus Jacob Brown stepped from the dug-out to replace Barkley, Adebayo and Giles.

Moyes responded with one change of his own, Pablo Fornals coming on for Benrahma, but Edwards did not look like landing the treble chance with his reshuffled formation and with Danny Ings also replacing Antonio, referee Paul Tierney was again scribbling in his notebook, this time cautioning Emerson for bundling over Chong, who was soon replaced by Cauley Woodrow.

The Luton substitute was feeling his way onto the Kenilworth Road turf, when West Ham doubled their lead with five minutes remaining.

Ever-capable of delivering a precision corner, Ward-Prowse did not disappoint when he floated his flag-kick towards the edge of the six-yard box, where Zouma outjumped Andersen to power an unstoppable header into the net.

Still plucky Luton refused to surrender, though, and in the second minute of additional time, Morris nodded goalwards and Andersen – now in the opposing box – glanced a header beyond Areola to set up a frantic finale.

But in the final reckoning the Dane’s effort had come too late to prevent these two teams from finishing in top and bottom spot to book-end the Premier League table.

LUTON TOWN: Kaminski, Andersen, Burke, Bell, Kaboré, Doughty (Ogbene 77), Giles (Kaboré 71), Nakamba, Chong (Woodrow 83), Barkley (Mpanzu 71), Adebayo (Brown 71), Morris. Unused subs: Krul, Berry, Johnson, Francis-Clarke.

WEST HAM UNITED: Areola, Coufal, Emerson, Aguerd, Zouma, Álvarez, Ward-Prowse, Paquetá (Kudus 90+1), Benrahma (Fornals 71), Bowen, Antonio (Ings 80). Unused subs: Fabiański, Cresswell, Cornet, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Mubama.

Booked: Emerson (82), Nakamba (88).

Referee: Paul Tierney.

Attendance: 10,807.