Jarrod Bowen hopes the team can maintain their good form from the game against Portsmouth.

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said the team's 3-1 victory over Portsmouth in the first round of the English League Cup, securing their place in the next round, was a satisfying start and boosted their confidence for the new season. The away team broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when Adrian Segčić's shot from outside the penalty area deflected and went into the net.  

However, West Ham United quickly regained their rhythm after falling behind, scoring two goals in two minutes to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, Jarrod Bowen also contributed a goal, unleashing a beautiful volley inside the penalty area that deflected off Conor Shaughnessy and rolled into the net. Just five minutes into the second half, Jarrod Bowen provided another assist, setting up Tati for a header to extend West Ham United's lead to 3-1.  

Speaking about the team's first win of the new season, Jarrod Bowen said: "I think it's great to start the new season like this. Portsmouth plays in the same league as us, and they are very competitive, so we knew from the start that this game would be a big challenge for us."  

"At the start of the game, our performance was indeed not ideal, but the team quickly adjusted its rhythm and scored in quick succession. We understand that people will expect us to deliver satisfactory results every week in the new season, but we also know that difficulties and setbacks are inevitable in a long season, and at such times, we must show enough fighting spirit."  

"Ultimately, we need to show the attitude of a team that wants to win, and I think everyone did a great job today. No matter what happened during the game, we persevered until the end and created a lot of scoring opportunities. We must improve our finishing when faced with those opportunities. We scored three goals today, and if we had been more efficient, we could have scored two or three more."  

When asked about the fans' support, Jarrod Bowen said, "We've mentioned the importance of the fans more than once throughout the summer, and we all know very well what they mean to the team. The most important thing now is for everyone to work together, because we all understand what we're pursuing and what we hope to achieve by the end of the season."  

"There will inevitably be some difficulties and setbacks during the season, but we must always remain united and face them together as a whole. Everyone in the club shares the same goal, and we will do everything we can to get the team back to the Premier League."  

West Ham United will learn their League Cup second-round matchups this Monday, after which they will turn their attention to their Championship opener next weekend, an away game against Burnley. Jarrod Bowen hopes the team can continue their momentum from their victory over Portsmouth and carry that confidence into the next match.  

He added, "I think maintaining a strong desire to win will be a very important part of our season, and today's game proved that very well. Even when the team isn't at its best, we still have to find ways to create opportunities and capitalize on them, because we know we have that ability."  

“Although today’s match was a cup game, our opponent is in the same league as us and is a direct competitor we will face in the new season. Therefore, this game was a good test for us and also gave the team more confidence. Now we can approach next week’s game with a positive attitude. We all know that Burnley will not be easy to beat, so we must be fully prepared, give it our all, and carry the strengths we showed in today’s game into the next match.”  

Image source: Internet/West Ham United official website