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West Ham moved six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with an emphatic 4-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
After reaching another European semi-final in impressive style on Thursday, West Ham’s focus quickly switched back to their battle to beat the drop and they made the perfect start on the south coast with two goals inside 12 minutes.
Michail Antonio rose unmarked to head in Aaron Cresswell’s corner (5) before Lucas Paqueta doubled the Hammers’ advantage with a header of his own at the back post seven minutes later.
Declan Rice made it 3-0 to West Ham at Bournemouth with a thumping effort
West Ham captain Declan Rice, fresh from scoring his side’s third goal against Gent in midweek, then thumped the visitors into a 3-0 lead two minutes ahead of the break before substitute Pablo Fornals’ acrobatic effort added a late fourth for the Hammers (72).
Bournemouth, who had won four of their previous six league games, responded well to conceding two early goals but Rice’s strike effectively ended their hopes of a comeback.
The result sees West Ham leapfrog Bournemouth and rise to 13th in the table with seven matches remaining. The Cherries drop to 15th and are five points above the bottom three with six games to play.
How Bournemouth brushed West Ham aside
Despite their Thursday exploits, Moyes only made two changes at the Vitality Stadium and one was to recall first-choice Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
It meant Antonio got another opportunity to lead the line and he rewarded his manager’s faith with a fifth-minute opener. For Bournemouth it was all too easy with Cresswell’s near-post corner powered home by the unmarked Antonio for his 12th goal of the season but only his fourth in the league.
The Hammers doubled their advantage seven minutes later and again it would have frustrated Cherries boss Gary O’Neil. Vladimir Coufal won back possession from Marcus Tavernier and controlled Jarrod Bowen’s pass before his looping cross was headed in at the back post by Paqueta, who easily outjumped Jack Stephens.
Bournemouth were not prepared to throw the towel in just yet and Chris Mepham tested Fabianski with a header moments later. Jefferson Lerma was next to try his luck and Fabianski was again equal to it, but his best stop was to come next.
Dominic Solanke muscled his way past Nayef Aguerd and raced into the area, but Fabianski saved well with his feet to preserve West Ham’s two-goal lead after half an hour.
Michail Antonio’s header gave West Ham an early lead
Having withstood Bournemouth’s fightback, Moyes’ side then provided a sucker-punch two minutes before half-time through their talisman. Another Cresswell corner caused problems and, while it was cleared to the back post, Rice was first to the loose ball and on hand to drill home via a deflection to make it back-to-back goals this week.
The Hammers captain was serenaded by the away fans soon after with chants urging him to stay amid talk his future could lie away from the London Stadium after this campaign.
O’Neil responded with Wales forward Kieffer Moore introduced in place of Joe Rothwell at half-time but it failed to have the desired effect.
A triple substitution followed on the hour mark for Bournemouth with Dango Ouattara, the stoppage-time hero at Spurs last weekend, brought on and, while he initially caused problems, West Ham were soon celebrating a fourth goal.
Lucas Paqueta doubled West Ham’s advantage with a header at the back post
Bowen did well down the right and, although his cross was slightly behind Fornals, the substitute managed to backheel into the far corner to make it 4-0 after 72 minutes.
Hammers substitute Maxwel Cornet had a stoppage-time effort ruled out for offside and the West Ham fans finished the game chanting for Rice to stay one more year, with this win at least going a long way to confirming their place in the Premier League next season.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth will aim to quickly regroup for their trip to rivals Southampton on Thursday.
What’s next?
Bournemouth visit Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday at 7.45pm. West Ham host Liverpool at London Stadium the night before, also at 7.45pm.
Bournemouth’s remaining fixtures
April 27: Southampton (A) – Premier League, kick-off 7.45pm
April 30: Leeds (H) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm
May 6: Chelsea (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 13: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 20: Manchester United (A) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 28: Everton (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
West Ham’s remaining fixtures
April 26: Liverpool (H) – Premier League, kick-off 7.45pm
April 29: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm
May 3: Man City (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 7: Man Utd (H) – Premier League, kick-off 7pm
May 11: AZ Alkmaar (H) – Europa Conference League semi-final, kick-off 8pm
May 14: Brentford (A) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm
May 18: AZ Alkmaar (A) – Europa Conference League semi-final, kick-off 8pm
May 21: Leeds (H) – Premier League, kick-off 1.30pm
May 28: Leicester City (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
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