In one moment of clarity here on the South Coast, Lucas Paqueta turned gorgeously past Bournemouth’s Philip, nutmegging him in the process and leaving the Dane smiling wryly with embarrassment.
Outlined in that moment was the quality of Paqueta. This hard-fought opening-day draw for West Ham came in spite of a quiet display by the Brazilian — but the skill to beat Philip demonstrated why Manchester City are willing to part with considerable money as they attempt to prise him away.
A lot has changed since West Ham last visited the Vitality Stadium, back in April, when Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta were both on the score-sheet in a 4-0 win.
Rice is now a £105million Arsenal player, while Paqueta could soon be off too if Pep Guardiola’s City are willing to part with enough pennies.
Only recently did the last Premier League team to sign a player this summer kick into gear in the transfer window. The Mexican defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez has arrived at West Ham from Ajax, while Harry Maguire and James Ward-Prowse are both expected to be turning out in claret and blue sooner rather than later.
Yet without any of their shiny new additions, the Hammers were able to rely on their hero of last season to put them ahead, their hero on that hallowed night in Prague nine weeks ago.
As Tomas Soucek dug his foot in to win the ball, Jarrod Bowen collected before bending the ball superbly into the top corner past the outstretched Neto, who was well beaten.
It offered vindication for the tireless performances from both Bowen and Michail Antonio, who dropped deep at moments to begin a marauding run forward or, indeed, to spray an inch-perfect pass forward for Said Benrahma.
West Ham had seen little of the ball — Bournemouth’s Joe Rothwell dictating play and rightly named man of the match — and yet they led in the closing stages.
But Bournemouth had dominated the match, struck the post through Rothwell, and were always going to push as the match entered its dying embers.
Sure enough, Dominic Solanke rounded Alphone Areola a little too easily, tapping home an equaliser which would go on to earn the hosts a point.
Football so often doesn’t work out this way, but here was a 1-1 match which actually did end 1-1.
“Champions of Europe, we know what we are”, the West Ham fans belted after Bowen’s opener. Champions of Europe they may be (sort of), but victory here proved beyond them.
