For the second time in the space of six miserable days to kick off the new Premier League season, captain Jarrod Bowen used the same six-letter word to describe a West Ham United horror show.
He was not short of choice.
Abject. Brutal. Horrid. Rotten. Rancid. As far as six-letter words go, Jarrod Bowen had plenty to pick from.
The West Ham United skipper opted instead, with invisible steam pouring out of his ears, for ‘fuming’. He and everyone else at a disconsolate London Stadium then, the Chelsea cheers barely audible through the growling chorus of boos which drowned out the full-time whistle on a Friday night fiasco.
Bowen was ‘fuming’ after Sunderland cruised to a 3-0 win on their first match back in the Premier League since 2017.
No team in the competition’s history had ever conceded eight goals in the first two matches of a new campaign, though that was until Graham Potter’s Hammers gifted their London rivals as many as five in the space of just 43 minutes.
Jarrod Bowen after West Ham United v Chelsea - Premier League
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Jarrod Bowen ‘fuming’ again as West Ham United collapse at home to Chelsea
While Mads Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and co collapsed under the relentless pressure exerted by Enzo Maresca’s visitors – smelling blood and sinking their teeth – Bowen was left with a nasty case of deja vu.
Once again, fronting up to the media trying to find an explanation for a performance which almost defied description in all the worst ways.
“I’m angry and disappointed,” Bowen began. “All the emotions that come with having conceded eight goals in two games and not picked up a point yet.
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"I am fuming with the first couple of weeks" 😡
Jarrod Bowen is not happy with West Ham's start to the season after conceding eight goals in two games. pic.twitter.com/TJ1eUvFsGO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 22, 2025
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“I think everyone’s got to look at themselves in the mirror and be really honest with themselves. We need to have some honest conversations with ourselves and with the group, which we will be having.
“It’s collective responsibility, because we’re all out there on the pitch. You can have a plan, but we didn’t do the basics well enough and it’s in all areas of the pitch. We all have to take responsibility for where we are right now.
“Myself as captain, I’m fuming with how the first couple of weeks have gone. I share the responsibility, and now it’s down to me to try and help get a reaction out of the players.”
Bowen was at a loss to explain how West Ham managed to find themselves 3-1 down just after the half-hour mark despite taking a sixth minute lead through Lucas Paqueta’s long-range rocket. Perhaps, even more damningly than a throng of abysmal individual performances was the manner in which the entire team collapsed at the first hint of adversity.
Trevoh Chalobah celebrates scoring a goal during West Ham United v Chelsea - Premier League
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Bowen rues West Ham mentality as he demands a response against Wolves
While ex-West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green defended Hermansen – thrown in at the deep end by Graham Potter and crying out for some armbands as water fills his lungs – there could be no such excuses afforded to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Nayef Aguerd or Max Kilman.
To think, some Manchester United fans rued the sale of Wan-Bissaka last summer. Clearly, and this did not go unnoticed in the North West, that tendency to switch off at the back post is an Achilles heel which continues to blight him.
“I think we got ourselves in a really good position at 1-0 but then we just let in some really cheap goals,” Bowen adds. “We gifted them goals really, and you can’t do that against any opposition. We learnt that at Sunderland last week, and then we’ve done it again tonight.
“They got a goal after we went ahead, and then we had one disallowed. Then they go 2-1 up, but there’s a long way still to go, so we have to know that we’re still in the game, and stay in the game, which we didn’t do.
“This is the Premier League, and you’re going to be under pressure and be able to play at different points, but when you concede five the whole thing goes out the window.”
"I've got to do better, we have to do better."
Graham Potter says everyone has to do better as a collective at West Ham ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/vR3wXUr019
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 22, 2025
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Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Wolves at Molineux gives West Ham a chance to respond pretty sharply. Then again, this is another point Bowen made on Wearside.
“We have to show a reaction. I know that, and we all know that,” the captain sighs. “We have to face the music, and we have to be brave to deal with that. Ultimately, we have to look at ourselves and put it right on the pitch. That’s what counts, and that’s how things are going to change.
“We have a cup game on Tuesday night, and our full focus will be on that now. There’s an opportunity to go on a cup run, which you always look forward to, and then after that we’ll want to get some points on the board at Forest.
“It’s up to us to turn it around and we’ll all do our best to make sure we do that.”