Report: Bowen pounces as Saints beaten in Jurić's first game

The Hammers started quickly, as Carlos Soler rattled the crossbar early on, but Saints grew into the game, creating a trio of big first-half chances for Paul Onuachu, while Mateus Fernandes also saw a header saved as the hosts continued to deliver dangerous crosses.

Saints thought they would be playing against 10 men for 40 minutes when Guido Rodríguez was shown a straight red card at the start of the second half, only for VAR to intervene, and West Ham took full advantage as Bowen poked home when Saints failed to clear a corner six minutes later.

Fernandes shot wide from Saints’ best chance to equalise, but even in a game with 17 minutes of added time between the two halves, Jurić’s men could not find a way through.

Taking charge for the first time, having watched the goalless draw at Fulham from the stands, the Croatian boss gave Onuachu his second start of the season up front alongside Adam Armstrong and recalled Lesley Ugochukwu for his first Premier League start since September, as Joe Aribo and Tyler Dibling dropped to the bench.

There was an initial warning shot from the ever-dangerous left boot of Bowen, with just 15 seconds on the clock, but Aaron Ramsdale was confident enough to drop his hands and allow the ball to sail over his crossbar.

Two minutes later, Mohammed Kudus was bundled over by Nathan Wood, giving Emerson Palmieri a free-kick in prime shooting range. The Saints wall did its job, but the early pressure from the Hammers did not stop there.

Ivan Jurić was taking charge of his first game as Saints boss

There were still only four minutes on the clock when Aaron Wan-Bissaka set off on a lung-busting run up the right flank that carried him all the way into the penalty area, where his low cross was left by Niclas Füllkrug and thumped against the crossbar by Soler, before Yukinari Sugawara blocked Rodríguez’s follow-up.

Saints were yet to settle, but had a golden chance to go in front of themselves as the breathless start to the game continued.

Sugawara, involved in an attacking sense for the first time, swung in a high, deep cross that was brilliantly kept alive by Kyle Walker-Peters, whose left-footed volley back across goal was met by the stretching Onuachu, but the big striker just could not quite crane his neck to direct the ball on target as it dropped agonisingly wide from six yards.

Onuachu was a regular outlet, holding the ball up well on a couple of occasions, before he found himself pulling the ball back from the right-wing position not once but twice – first for Ugochukwu, whose firm sidefoot was blocked, and then for Downes, but the pass was intercepted.

Having overcome that initial West Ham flurry, Saints were growing in confidence, finding plenty of joy down the flanks.

Armstrong drifted out to the left and delivered a cross met by the head of Fernandes, whose header was too close to Łukasz Fabiański from another position of promise.

Mateus Fernandes heads for goal from one of many first-half chances from crosses

Meanwhile, Walker-Peters was looking back to his best. A driven right-footed shot took a deflection that nearly outfoxed Fabiański, before a perfect cross for Onuachu forced a stunning save from the Pole, diving high to his right to keep out the Nigerian.

But the 39-year-old veteran keeper was involved in a nasty collision on the half-hour mark that saw Nathan Wood go into the book and necessitated the introduction of Alphonse Areola from the bench, with Fabiański applauded by both sets of fans as he was stretchered off with an oxygen mask covering his face, prompting 10 added minutes at the end of the half.

Perhaps the lengthy break in play stifled Saints’ momentum slightly, but the hosts were back on the front foot after Wan-Bissaka volleyed wide, as another swinging cross towards Onuachu forced a corner, before he forced a first save from Areola, although the Frenchman should not have been given a chance as the striker met Sugawara’s inviting cross unopposed.

There was a flashpoint at the start of the second period when referee Lewis Smith initially brandished a straight red card to Rodríguez for a two-footed challenge on Walker-Peters, who had reacted angrily to the tackle.

But Smith was quickly sent to the touchline to reconsider his decision, with replays confirming no contact was made and Rodríguez possibly slipped in any case.

Flynn Downes fights for possession against his former club

Things were still very much in the balance until Bowen pounced to give the Hammers the lead just shy of the hour.

It all felt painfully avoidable for Saints, as Sugawara’s errant backpass under no pressure gifted the visitors a corner that the defence could not clear, as Tomáš Souček headed back across goal, Niclas Füllkrug nodded it down and Bowen poached from close range.

Jurić immediately turned to Joe Aribo and James Bree as his first substitutes, before the impressive Walker-Peters tried to inspire a revival, threading a neat pass through for Fernandes who dragged the chance wide on his left foot.

Tyler Dibling and Kamaldeen arrived in the 74th minute to flank Onuachu, by which time West Ham were doing everything to slow the game down, though Crysencio Summerville and Mohammed Kudus did threaten to put the result beyond Saints on the break.

Dibling came close to rescuing a share of the spoils with a curling shot that just cleared the crossbar, while Onuachu headed wide as Saints pushed for a point, but Bowen's poaching prowess would prove to be the difference.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara (Bree 61), Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek (c), Wood, Walker-Peters (Manning 87), Downes (Aribo 61), Ugochukwu (Lallana 87), Fernandes (Dibling 74), Armstrong (Kamaldeen 74), Onuachu.

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Fraser, Archer.

Booked: Wood.

West Ham: Fabiański (Areola 36), Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman (Todibo 19), Emerson (Coufal 88), Souček, Rodríguez (Cresswell 68), Bowen (c), Soler (Álvarez 46), Kudus, Füllkrug (Summerville 68).

Unused substitutes: Irving, Guilherme, Ings.

Goal: Bowen (59’).

Booked: Rodríguez, Souček.

Referee: Lewis Smith.

Attendance: 31,059.