**West Ham came away with a well-earned point at Bournemouth with Lucas Paqueta sending a strong message to Hammers fans.**
It’s fair to suggest that the season thus far has been an underwhelming one in east London, with West Ham very much a club occupying a spot nearer the bottom of the table, rather than one in the hunt for European football.
However, despite the uncertainty surrounding the club and in particular Head Coach Julen Lopetegui at present, West Ham produced a much-improved performance – especially in the first half, although it wasn’t quite enough to grab all 3 points.
Lucas Paqueta scored a penalty on the 87th minute however Bournemouth responded fast with a free kick just 3 minutes later, which meant the points were shared.
One big moment was the celebration from Paqueta, who made sure to head directly to Lopetegui in a show of unity, whilst also kissing the West Ham badge.
We caught up with The West Ham Way Podcast duo Dave Walker and ExWHUEmployee, who both were pleased with an improved West Ham display, which many will hope will now kick start our season.
“I think that was a positive performance last night,” stated Walker. “Bournemouth are a good side showing good form so to play them away and leave with a point is a good result. Interesting to see some PDA from Lucas towards the manager after he scored as well.”
Ex agreed, whilst highlighting the inclusion of Academy players Kaelan Casey and Ollie Scarles.
“I thought it was a solid performance, particularly in the first half where I felt we could of got a couple of goals,” added Ex. “That said Fabianski made some great saves to keep us in it at times too. The most pleasing thing however was the involvement of two Academy players with another on the bench.
“I thought Scarles looked very at home when he came on and even though he was on a short time Casey made some good headers. These are the future and I hope to see more involvement in coming games.”