West Ham United captain, Jarrod Bowen, was involved in a confrontation with a section of West Ham supporters following their 3-2 defeat to Wolves in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. The loss at Molineux Stadium marked the continuation of a poor start to the season for the Hammers, who have now suffered three successive defeats.
Despite coming from behind to lead 2-1, thanks to goals from Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek, West Ham conceded two late goals to Jorgen Strand Larsen, resulting in their exit from the competition at the second round stage. After the final whistle, Bowen went to applaud the away fans in appreciation of their support. However, an exchange of words soon occurred between Bowen and a fan, which led to a heated discussion. Teammates Soucek and Alphonse Areola intervened and ushered Bowen away. Bowen then returned after hearing something else from the travelling support, before ultimately walking away and removing his captain's armband.
West Ham manager Graham Potter downplayed the incident, describing it as simply "an exchange of views by people who care". He also acknowledged the frustration of the fans due to the team's recent results and defended Bowen as a "fantastic captain, servant, player and person for the club". Potter stressed the importance of unity between the fans and the team during this difficult period. He also assured that everyone at the club is hurting from the results and that they are not happy with their current performance.
Bowen took to Instagram to apologize and vowed to "set a better example".
West Ham had initially fallen behind to a goal from Rodrigo Gomes after Hwang Hee-chan's penalty rebounded off the post. Soucek leveled the score early in the second half, and Paqueta's header put the Hammers ahead. However, Larsen's late double secured the victory for Wolves and a place in the third round draw.
The defeat has further intensified the pressure on Graham Potter, who will be looking for a positive reaction from his team in their upcoming Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
