It was an emotionally charged night at the London Stadium as West Ham United beat Wolves 2-1 on Monday, and those emotions appeared to spill over at full-time as Jarrod Bowen and Mario Lemina found themselves in an intensely heated exchange after the final whistle.
Both sides entered the game knowing that a defeat could spell the end of their manager's tenure at their respective clubs, while the hosts also carried the added motivation of wanting to win for star striker Michail Antonio following his potentially career-threatening car accident over the weekend. The Hammers emerged victorious, and their skipper has since revealed what led to the brawl between himself and Lemina.
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Bowen Explains What Sparked Brawl With Lemina
The winger gave his thoughts after the game
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As seen in the footage below, Bowen and Lemina can be seen tussling with one another at full-time, with the pair throwing each other to the ground. Lemina continued his antics with other members of the West Ham squad and backroom staff and even his own coach as tensions boiled over.
Bowen, however, gave his side of the story and explained why things escalated after the game. According to the Daily Mail, the England international stated:
"I just went to shake his hand after the game. He didn't want to shake my hand, two captains together just to say "well done" after the game. I know it's difficult when you lose. I've been on the end of that situation."
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Wolves boss Gary O'Neil claimed afterwards that Lemina had calmed down and suggested that something sent to him had triggered such a passionate reaction. The defeat leaves the Black Country outfit sitting 19th in the Premier League table with nine points from a possible 45. They are four points adrift of safety, with it now appearing increasingly likely that O'Neil may be sacked ahead of their vital clash with fellow relegation candidates Ipswich Town on Saturday.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored - accurate as of 10/12/2024