There was at least one thing positive to come out of Tuesday’s 2-2 draw between West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion at the London Stadium.
At least ensured a more competitive Man of the Match battle.
Alphonse Areola has taken to dominating the running in recent weeks, with West Ham United failing to win a single Premier League match since beating Burnley in November. More often than not, the Frenchman has kept the scoreline respectable, while securing points in games where arguably none were deserved.
Areola left Nuno Espirito Santo ‘disappointed’ with an uncharacteristic flap when Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton came to town, though.
Points shared at the London Stadium ❌
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Gifting Joel Veltman the equaliser just past the hour mark, Areola has played a massive role in West Ham’s recent improvement when defending set-piece situations but this was the sort of mistake reminiscent of the late-Graham Potter era.
Not to mention, the brief Mads Hermansen stint from August to September.
So, with Areola out of the running, it was a more open field than usual when selecting the stand-out performer in claret and blue.
West Ham United fans snub Jarrod Bowen in Brighton Man of the Match award
Lucas Paqueta scored one and assisted the other, his first assist since April 2024. But in typical Paqueta fashion, moments of inspiration were clipped by the usual lapses in concentration.
The Brazilian needed the crossbar to bail him out when gifting Brighton the chance to go ahead from the spot, having been adjudged to have hauled down Lewis Dunk inside the area.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Jarrod Bowen earned 30 per cent of the vote, having opened the scoring in the tenth minute with a cool finish under Bart Verbruggen.
At the time of writing, six per cent of Hammers News readers voted for Soungoutou Magassa while a further 11 per cent opted for Mateus Fernandes.
While Brighton were without Carlos Baleba due to the Africa Cup of Nations, Magassa, Fernandes and Freddie Potts held their own against an impressive midfield trio of James Milner, Diego Gomez and the excellent Yasin Ayari.
Of all the problems West Ham are facing right now, the centre of the park is no longer one of them.
Upton Park icon Tony Cottee summed up the dramatic difference between the midfield which started the season under Potter – James Ward-Prowse and Guido Rodriguez – and the younger, more mobile unit put in place by Nuno.
On Tuesday night, though, it was not Potts, Magassa, Fernandes or even Bowen, but Ollie Scarles who ran away with Hammers News’ very own Man of the Match poll.
No fewer than 50 per cent of our readers named the left-back as the game’s standout performer.
DESCRIBE Ollie Scarles’ performance in one word!
What a response from the youngster
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Bowen hails Ollie Scarles after fantastic London Stadium response
This was no charity vote, either.
Yes, the sight of Scarles in tears was a painful one in the aftermath of Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Fulham. But, to quote one triumphant supporter, Scarles ‘shut up his haters’ on a night in which he excelled in all departments.
The 20-year-old made the most clearances and interceptions while also producing a team-high number of crosses and key passes.
Scarles, lest we forget, is the club’s reigning Young Player of the Year. After a difficult first half of the season, interrupted by injury, sidelined by the form of El Hadji Malick Diouf and capped by that Fulham error, this was a reminder as to why some at West Ham feel there is something ‘special’ about the Bromley-born England Under-20 international.
Captain Jarrod Bowen could only dream of achieving what Scarles has done before his 21st birthday.
Bowen was still playing for Hull City in the second-tier at this stage of his career.
“The only thing that we can do is help them and support [the young players],” the skipper told reporters at full-time.
“These players nowadays have way more confidence and way more ability than I ever did at that age! They are here on merit. They’re not here just to make up the numbers. They’re here because they deserve it.
“Every time they get their opportunity, it’s about us helping them, but ultimately they just go out and do what they do in training and what they’ve done for their younger sides. They make the transition look easy.
“We’ve got Ollie Scarles, Pottsy, that have come through the academy and they’re first-team regulars now. So, it’s a credit to them as people and how they want to work. To see more people get their opportunities tonight [Mayers and Kante] and see them on the pitch at the end was nice to see.”
With Wolves and 17th place Nottingham Forest to come before the FA Cup third round, and Diouf’s return from AFCON, Scarles now feels well-placed to re-establish himself as a valuable member of the squad.
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