Captain Jarrod Bowen scored twice as West Ham’s 3-2 win over Bolton took them top of the Sky Bet Championship on goal difference and earned a first ever win at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The England international opened the scoring after 13 minutes and earned last season’s Premier League outfit a first win in Bolton for 31 years with his second 13 minutes from time.
In between, Wanderers, beaten for a fourth successive outing, equalised through midfielder Ethan Erhahon’s maiden goal for the Trotters.
Jarrod Bowen’s double helped West Ham to a dramatic victory
And they looked on course for a ninth successive league victory over the Hammers when Ruben Rodrigues converted a 27th-minute penalty.
Instead, Konstantinos Mavropanos levelled with a 31st-minute header and Bowen completed the comeback.
It came as no surprise when Bowen gave West Ham the lead, lofting a left-foot shot high into the net after Gavin Bazunu blocked a close-range Pablo effort.
The Hammers’ advantage lasted just five minutes before ex-Lincoln midfielder Erhahon equalised with a rasping left-foot strike that hit Mavropanos on its way beyond Mads Hermansen.
Looking for their first second-tier success since the opening day of the campaign, Bolton hit the front after 27 minutes.
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Kyle Walker-Peters was already struggling to contain winger Kyliane Dong, when he felled the Augsburg loanee.
Rodrigues – who netted twice in Bolton’s League One play-off final win last May, including a penalty – sent Hermansen the wrong way from the spot.
Now it was West Ham’s turn to fashion a swift riposte. Arne Engels guided a free-kick to the far post where Mavropanos climbed highest to head in an equaliser.
The Greek centre-back almost reprised his goal soon after but from Bowen’s inswinging corner, debutant Bazunu clawed the ball from under his crossbar.
Bolton, though, finished the half on top with the lively Dong shooting wide and Sam Dalby denied by Hermansen’s stoppage-time save.
The action was less frenetic in the second half with West Ham more in control.
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Substitute Manor Solomon should have done better with a chance provided by Bowen while another replacement, Joel Piroe, blazed high into the away fans with only Bazunu to beat.
Bowen finally squeezed a close-range shot into the net despite Bazunu’s desperate attempt to stop the ball trickling over the line.
And he should have completed a last-minute hat-trick but Wales international Josh Sheehan chased back to block the shot.
The managers
Bolton’s Steven Schumacher:
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West Ham’s Nuno Espirito Santo:
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