GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - JUNE 16: Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen of England celebrate after the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Serbia and England at Arena AufSchalke on June 16, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - JUNE 16: Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen of England celebrate after the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Serbia and England at Arena AufSchalke on June 16, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Arsenal star Declan Rice has labelled former West Ham team-mate Jarrod Bowen's performance 'different class' after he scored the winning goal against Wolves on Monday.
Bowen, 27, produced a moment of brilliance with 18 minutes of normal time remaining to give the Irons a much-needed 2-1 win in the Premier League clash dubbed 'El Sackico'. The England international's curling left-footed strike from just inside the penalty area beat Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, whose side had just equalised through Matt Doherty.
Posting on Instagram after the match, Bowen dedicated the victory to West Ham striker Michail Antonio, who was injured in a serious car crash on Saturday. "A win that meant so much more," Bowen wrote alongside an image of him holding up Antonio's No.9 shirt. "We are all with you."
Rice, who's good friends with Bowen from their time together at the London Stadium, left a comment. "Different class tonight Jaz, [you were] a pleasure to watch," the Arsenal midfielder replied along with three clapping emojis.
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Bowen and Rice were both part of the famous West Ham team which won the Conference League in 2023, their first European trophy in 58 years. The pair were also part of England's squad for the European Championship over the summer, helping the Three Lions reach the final.
By scoring against Wolves, Bowen notched his fourth Premier League goal in 15 games this season. The 27-year-old, who's been linked with potentially replacing Mo Salah at Liverpool, also has four assists after being named West Ham captain in July.
Ex-Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist believes that Bowen has the ability to play for a Champions League club but insists the forward's happiness much come first. "You can't underestimate the importance of how happy he is," McCoist told talkSPORT. "Because it contributes to him being relaxed on the pitch and enjoying his football and enjoying his life.
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"If he's happy away from it, that is half the battle and you're absolutely spot on. He's clearly in an environment right now where he's content on and off the pitch and he's happy."
For now, Bowen is focused on West Ham's efforts to move up into the top half of the table under boss Julen Lopetegui. "It's a huge result. We knew tonight was a must-win really, coming off the back of two defeats, and we just had to get the three points in whatever way we could," he told West Ham's website post-match.
"We've had a couple of goals disallowed, so it could've been a bit more comfortable, but we kept fighting, and I think we deserved it. We felt like we deserved more at Leicester last week, but unlike then, tonight we've managed to take our chances. We go to Bournemouth now, looking to back tonight up."
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