Match Report | Four-star Hammers dazzle in Ipswich victory | West Ham United F.C.

West Ham United triumphed over Ipswich Town with a score of 4-1 during a Premier League match held at the London Stadium on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 3 PM BST.

Some things in life are guaranteed, and one of those is West Ham United triumphing over newly promoted teams in the Premier League.

The Hammers achieved their tenth victory and second draw in their last 12 games against newly promoted teams by decisively defeating Ipswich Town 4-1 at the London Stadium on Saturday.

Jarrod Bowen bounced back from the letdown of being overlooked for the England team by netting one goal and setting up two others. Meanwhile, Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, and Lucas Paquetá also scored, helping Julen Lopetegui secure his first league victory at home as Head Coach.

Although Kieran McKenna's team showed great determination, they ultimately fell short in quality against a West Ham side that delivered its finest performance since Lopetegui took charge.

Scoring early can make a big difference, and after giving up a goal just 40 seconds into their last match against Brentford, West Ham managed to take the lead just 49 seconds into their game against the team from Suffolk.

Dara O'Shea lost possession in the middle of the field when Antonio intercepted the ball and passed it to Bowen. With Wan-Bissaka making an overlapping run, Bowen was given the opportunity to sprint toward the edge of the penalty area. He delivered a low cross to Antonio, who finished expertly, sending the ball past Ari Muric, the goalkeeper for Ipswich.

Nevertheless, the advantage didn't last long; within five minutes, Liam Delap managed to fend off Paquetá during a corner kick. He then spun around and fired a powerful low shot that found its way into the near post, leaving Alphonse Areola unable to stop it.

The exciting action carried on as Muric thwarted Bowen with a impressive save, followed by Jacob Greaves making a crucial block. Finally, Kudus's low shot was confidently caught by Ipswich's Kosovo international goalkeeper.

Ipswich continued to pose a threat as Kalvin Phillips attempted a shot from 25 yards out midway through the half, sending the ball over the goal.

West Ham largely controlled the ball, with Jean-Clair Todibo often advancing it from the back. One of these plays resulted in a shot from Tomáš Souček that went just wide after a deflection. Ipswich responded quickly, and during a corner taken by Leif Davis, O’Shea came close with a header that missed the target by a small margin.

Shortly afterwards, the Irishman found himself at his own goal line, clearing another shot from Souček after Muric's clearance was intercepted by Paquetá. The Brazilian then took a shot on the first touch, sending it directly towards the goalkeeper.

In the end, the mounting pressure paid off just over a minute before halftime. Emerson delivered a cross that Antonio headed onto the bottom of the crossbar. Kudus was quick to respond, jumping up to score with a header from the rebounding ball.

In the added minutes, Wan-Bissaka managed to test Muric again, while West Ham wrapped up the first half with seven shots on target—more than they had in any complete match this season.

Just four minutes after the break, West Ham scored their third goal from another on-target attempt. Ben Johnson's back pass caught Muric off guard, leading him to block Antonio's attempt but only to Bowen. The captain skillfully maneuvered into the penalty area, passed Phillips, and sent a powerful shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

The Hammers came very close to scoring a fourth goal at the hour mark when Kudus volleyed a pass from Bowen toward the net. However, Muric made an incredible one-handed save, diving to his right to deny the shot.

Areola responded in kind, diving to deflect Delap's strong downward header away from the goal, helping his team keep their two-goal lead.

The lead increased to three a few minutes later when Bowen set up his second assist. After receiving a pass back from Antonio, he delivered the ball to the open Paquetá, who scored easily from just a short distance.

The game ended in victory, but there were still opportunities to increase the score. Muric stopped a shot from Kudus and managed to catch Bowen’s bold attempt from the halfway line. Later, substitute Carlos Soler fired a shot that went soaring over the crossbar.

Aaron Cresswell had the opportunity to take the field against his old club, while Luis Guilherme made his debut for West Ham. Meanwhile, lifelong Hammers supporter Sam Szmodics came close to scoring again, sending a shot just wide of the goal.

West Ham United: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson (substituted for Cresswell in the 83rd minute); Rodríguez (substituted for Álvarez in the 70th minute); Paquetá (substituted for Summerville in the 83rd minute); Souček; Bowen (captain); Kudus (substituted for Luis Guilherme in the 85th minute); Antonio (substituted for Soler in the 70th minute). The following players were on the bench and did not play: Fabiański (goalkeeper), Coufal, Mavropanos, Ings.

Scorers: Antonio netted 1 goal, Kudus scored at the 44-minute mark, Bowen added another at 49 minutes, and Paquetá completed the tally with a goal in the 69th minute.

Ipswich Town's lineup included Muric, Johnson, Greaves, O’Shea, Davis, and Morsy as captain. Phillips was substituted by Taylor in the 74th minute, while Burns made way for Ogbene in the same time frame. Hutchinson was replaced by Chaplin in the 83rd minute, J. Clarke came off for Szmodics also in the 73rd minute, and Delap was substituted by Hirst shortly before the end of the game. The substitutes who didn’t get playing time were Walton (goalkeeper), H. Clarke, Woolfenden, and Townsend.