Tomas Soucek struck late on yet again as West Ham secured their passage into the knock-out stages of the Europa League despite a Serbian snooze-fest against Backa Topola.

The Czech midfielder has now scored in his last five matches for club and country after an 89th-minute volley earned a scratchy 1-0 win.

Now they need to finish the job against Freiburg at the London Stadium in a fortnight to ensure they top the group and avoid a two-legged play-off in February.

Around 320 hardy West Ham fans made the 2,000-mile journey out to the Balkans, including a 100-mile trek up the motorway from Belgrade to the TSC Arena.

Many of them had got their wish, in the absence of injured forwards Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, of a first start of the season for 19-year-old FA Youth Cup-winning striker Divin Mubama.

But the youngster barely got a sniff of the ball as West Ham struggled to rouse themselves in the sleepy Serbian town.

The hosts came into the encounter on the back of a 4-0 win over Super League leaders Partizan at the weekend, and they made a confident start with Uros Milovanovic forcing an early save from Lukasz Fabianski.

Then an error from Aaron Cresswell, handed a rare start in one of seven changes from the side which snatched a late win at Burnley thanks to Soucek’s goal, gifted Aleksandar Cirkovic a shooting opportunity with Fabianski saving again.

West Ham registered their first shot on target after half an hour, a tame effort from Said Benrahma on his 150th West Ham appearance which was easily dealt with by Veljko Ilic.

But it was a mind-numbing first half neatly summed up by former player Joe Cole, on TNT Sports, as “dross” and “appalling”.

Boss David Moyes turned to Danny Ings and the lesser-spotted Maxwel Cornet just after the hour, replacing Benrahma and Mubama, in a bid to inject some life into his unconvincing side.

And as the game ticked into stoppage tie Cornet crossed from the left and Soucek hammered in a volley to win it.

West Ham have enjoyed a thrilling run in Europe over the past three seasons, including their historic Europa Conference League final triumph in Prague.

Although this was not one which will live long in the memory it was an 18th win in 20 matches in Europe, job done for Moyes and his side.

Aaron Cresswell highlighted the “massive” importance of clubs continuing to support the Rainbow Laces campaign after West Ham opened the ‘Hammers Pride’ bar in east London.

West Ham unveiled the pop-up bar in close collaboration with supporters’ group Pride of Irons to celebrate 10 years of Stonewall’s campaign, which was conceived to show support for all LGBTQ+ people in football and beyond.

This year’s ‘Lace up to keep it up’ theme, which is taking place between December 2-7, focuses on the ongoing commitment to ensuring football is inclusive and welcoming to all.

Irons left-back Cresswell told the PA news agency: “It’s massive and it’s a good thing for us to support.

“There is a lot of diversity out there and we continue to show our support for that.”

Pride of Irons is one of many LGBTQ+ fan groups in the Premier League, with the likes Canal Street Blues (Manchester City) and Proud Lilywhites (Tottenham) also campaigning for better inclusion.

And Cresswell touched on the positive steps which have been made since the start of his career and the importance of West Ham continuing to show support.

“From mine and the club’s point of view it is really important that we support and it’s good we’re involved in this. Long may it continue,” he added.

“The club do a lot of things in the community and it’s vital that we continue to do that and to show our support in all different aspects inside and outside of football.

“West Ham is a family club, I’ve been here 10 years and each year the club represents itself well and I think it’s important if you’re straight or gay to feel a part of West Ham and to feel welcome.

“It’s getting massive (support for LGBTQ). Every year it’s getting stronger and stronger. With social media and the support, it’s getting much easier now to communicate and follow.

“I think back in the day people were scared to speak out or talk to people but now the support is in place and West Ham certainly do that.”

Pride of Irons co-chair Jo Bailey lauded the club’s efforts in creating visibility and their work behind the scenes.

“The club has always supported Rainbow Laces which builds visibility. It’s always been key,” she said.

“We get a lot of messages from people who are in a difficult situation and who are unable to come out or in fear of losing family, friends or worse. For them to know that the club is inclusive and that they can feel safe is massive.

“All these gestures mean so much.”

Vincent Kompany admitted Burnley’s 2-1 home defeat to West Ham was the toughest one to take yet in what has been a miserable start to life back in the Premier League.

The Hammers, poor by David Moyes’ own admission for most of the afternoon, scored twice in the space of five minutes to snatch victory away, with Tomas Soucek hitting a superb volley to win it in the first minute of stoppage-time.

It was a seventh-straight home defeat for Burnley to start the season and leaves them bottom of the table with just four points from 13 games.

“You can say that,” Kompany said with a rueful laugh when asked if this was the hardest one yet of Burnley’s 11 defeats.

“It’s what makes this game beautiful but also what makes this game hard.

“There’s no other way to say it. Today was a tough one to take but I’ve mentioned it before, it’s still a universal recipe, you’ve got to get back up and keep going.”

Burnley had led through Jay Rodriguez’s 49th-minute penalty after Luca Koleosho had been tripped by Mohammed Kudus and West Ham, without the injured Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, rarely threatened to get back into the game.

But that all changed in a frantic finish as Kudus atoned for conceding the penalty by setting up the equaliser, with his cross deflected in by Dara O’Shea for an own goal and then picking out Soucek to strike the winner.

“You have to play until the end but in minute 86, probably what I would have said was how outstanding the performance was, on the ball, off the ball, disciplined, mature,” Kompany said.

“But as it is in football, it is shaped fairly by the result and every minute of the game is as important as the first one and in this case it’s tough…

“When you go home, if your children fall down what do you tell them? ‘Get back up and go again’. But you also have to really believe in that. I always have.

“What happens in the last five minutes is we throw everything away. It’s not good enough but it’s not supposed to be easy to get up to this level.”

Moyes recognised his side were lucky to escape Turf Moor with the points.

“I certainly didn’t see it (coming) at half-time with the way we started the game,” he said. “To get in at 0-0 was as good as it could get.

“We hadn’t played well in the first half at all, we were too slow, we never affected Burnley…The climax was great, it shows a lot of the things we’ve got about the team.

“A bit of resilience, we stuck at it, never wilted and had to find a way of getting a goal.

“We didn’t play at our best today. A lot of players were nowhere near their levels but ultimately we got three points in the Premier league.”

Soucek was the matchwinner in the 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest before the international break, then scored two in two for the Czech Republic, before his sixth club goal of the season and ninth overall broke Burnley hearts here.

“Tomas scored for the Czech Republic in midweek, he’s scored today, he scored against Forest so really he’s in a bit of goalscoring form,” Moyes said.

“He took it really well and he took it as someone who’s got a bit more confidence in his finishing.

“When he first came in he got 10 goals in his first season, last year not so much but this year, I think he is up to six already so that’s great.”

Tomas Soucek’s stoppage-time volley condemned Burnley to a seventh-consecutive home defeat as Vincent Kompany’s struggling side conceded two in the space of five minutes to lose 2-1 to West Ham.

For much of the second half it seemed as though Jay Rodriguez’s 49th-minute penalty was going to earn the Clarets a vital win and lift them off the bottom of the Premier League table.

But an 87th-minute own goal from Dara O’Shea, under pressure from West Ham teenager Divin Mubama, levelled it before Soucek volleyed home a second in the first of seven minutes added on.

It was cruel on Burnley, who had largely contained a West Ham side devoid of inspiration without the injured Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, but just when their fans thought they could celebrate a first home league win since May, it all fell apart at the death.

A side that broke records on their way to the Championship crown last term are now making too much unwanted history, with this loss seeing them match Newport’s 53-year-old record of starting a league campaign with seven home defeats.

Burnley narrowly shaded a fairly dismal first half, but ended it frustrated after Luca Koleosho’s penalty appeals were waved away six minutes before the break.

The teenager ran into the box and tumbled over the dangling leg of Vladimir Coufal but referee Sam Barratt, perfectly positioned, pointed for a goal-kick, deeming that Koleosho had run into the Czech defender, a view upheld by VAR Craig Pawson.

Koleosho and Burnley would get their penalty just two minutes into the second half. The Italy youth international appeared to have hit a dead end as he faced four West Ham players but – as he tried to turn away – he was caught on the heel by Mohammed Kudus and this time Barratt pointed to the spot.

Rodriguez had to hold his nerve through a VAR check but then fired his penalty under the dive of Alphonse Areola for his first goal of the season.

West Ham were forced to wake from their slumbers as the game finally came to life.

O’Shea blocked Soucek’s shot after a free-kick from deep, then Sander Berge got in the way of James Ward-Prowse’s shot following a long throw-in. Another set-piece came to Lucas Paqueta, but his powerful volley was still rising as it sailed over.

Burnley had chances to score what would surely have been a decisive second. Zeki Amdouni won possession on the right and charged into the box, forcing Areola into a sharp save at his near post.

Substitute Aaron Ramsey then went close to making an instant impact in the 73rd minute, springing forward down the right side and cutting in towards goal, only to send his shot over.

West Ham fans had been singing the name of Mubama before he replaced the largely-anonymous Danny Ings just after the hour, and the 19-year-old helped as West Ham turned up the wick late on.

Kurt Zouma blazed high and wide from Paqueta’s cross before substitute Said Benrahma failed to get enough bend on a curling shot, but the pressure was building.

And it paid off when Kudus got to the byline and pulled the ball back towards Mubama, with the ball bouncing in off the unlucky O’Shea.

Burnley were still reeling from that when West Ham won it at the death, as Soucek met another Kudus cross with a superb volley.

Steve Cooper felt Nottingham Forest threw away the chance of a rare away win after going down 3-2 at West Ham.

Goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga had put Forest into the lead after Lucas Paqueta fired the Hammers ahead in the third minute.

But late headers from Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek, both from James Ward-Prowse corners, condemned the visitors to another defeat.

“I think if we’d drawn 2-2, I’d have been disappointed,” Forest boss Cooper said.

“I can’t look past the goals we’ve given away. We gifted them a goal at the start, worked our way back into it and then to concede a corner after five seconds from kick-off and defend like we did is frustrating.

“The third goal is from our throw-in, it’s a corner again and we didn’t do our jobs. Whether the ball coming in is brilliant or average, you’ve got the stay with your man.”

Forest have won just two matches on the road since they were promoted in 2022.

“We know we are doing a lot better things away from home but we’ve just thrown a result a way, and to lose it like we did, it was our own fault, I can’t look past that,” Cooper added.

“There was a real opportunity to come here to win and we were doing that. Today was a different away performance and loss.

“This is one we are going ‘We’ve just thrown it away’. This could have been a much more comfortable day and we’ve only got ourselves to blame.”

Ward-Prowse has now contributed nine assists in all competitions since joining West Ham from Southampton, yet an England call-up still eludes him.

“I’m quite pleased that he’ll get a rest this week, with the amount of games we’ve had,” Hammers boss David Moyes said with a smile.

“Let’s be fair, he is world class at his deliveries, and if I was him I’d be disappointed the other boys haven’t scored more from his deliveries.”

The Hammers won a topsy-turvy match to register their first Premier League victory since September.

“Yeah, I needed that. But so do all the clubs,” Moyes added.

“I was thrilled with the opening minutes, and with the end few minutes. But our play was too slow in the first half and we lost a goal before half-time as well.

“In the second half, after we went behind we played really well to get ourselves back in the game and to win it was tremendous. “

Tomas Soucek’s persistence paid off as his late header secured a 3-2 win for West Ham against Nottingham Forest.

In the closing stages, the Czech midfielder hit the crossbar and had a header miraculously saved by Forest keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

But Soucek made it third time lucky when he nodded home James Ward-Prowse’s corner to finally see off the visitors.

Goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga had put Forest into the lead after Lucas Paqueta fired the Hammers ahead in the third minute.

But Jarrod Bowen’s eighth Premier League goal of the season hauled West Ham level before Soucek’s late heroics.

Paqueta struck after Nicolas Dominguez’s stray pass across the pitch cannoned off Ibrahim Sangare’s backside.

The Brazilian still had plenty to do but his low, accurate finish from the edge of the area comfortably beat the dive of Vlachodimos.

Forest were denied an equaliser by a stunning save from Alphonse Areola, who got a powerful hand on a point-blank header from Awoniyi.

Moments later Mohammed Kudus led a counter-attack and squared the ball for Paqueta, only this time his control let him down and his tame shot was straight at Vlachodimos.

But Forest gradually regained their shape and set about frustrating West Ham, who seemed to rapidly run out of ideas.

The crowd began to get restless as sideways pass after sideways pass came to nothing.

Even Forest got bored of it eventually, and they hauled themselves level on the stroke of half-time when Sangare won the ball in a congested midfield.

Sangare, with probably the first forward pass of the match from either side, played Morgan Gibbs-White through on goal.

Gibbs-White’s angled drive was kept out by Areola but Awoniyi was on hand to tap the rebound into and empty net.

West Ham came out with more impetus after the break and Kudus had a shot deflected over before Emerson Palmieri fired narrowly wide.

Forest should have gone ahead when Awoniyi played a one-two with Elanga only to slice his shot way off target.

Instead they got their noses in front just after the hour when Elanga tucked in a low cross from Ola Aina.

But West Ham hit back immediately, Bowen meeting Ward-Prowse’s corner with a powerful header past Vlachodimos.

Then Soucek took centre stage, first lifting the ball over Vlachodimos only to see it come back off the crossbar before the Greek keeper somehow tipped his downward header over the top.

But Soucek struck with two minutes remaining, leaping over team-mate Bowen to meet another Ward-Prowse corner at the far post to seal West Ham’s first Premier League win since September.

David Moyes was thrilled to get West Ham’s Europa League campaign back on track after Lucas Paqueta’s goal secured a 1-0 victory over Olympiacos.

The Brazil midfielder crashed in a second-half volley to keep the Hammers on top of Group A and to the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Moyes’ side are also guaranteed European football after Christmas with the worst-case scenario a third-placed finish meaning a return to the Europa Conference League and a chance to defend the trophy they won last season.

They enjoyed a measure of revenge, too, having accused the Greek team of celebrating their 2-1 win in the reverse fixture two weeks ago as if they had won the Europa League itself.

Not only that, but West Ham have now won their last nine home games in Europe since the start of last season, one more than Manchester City.

“We were disappointed to lose our record of 17 unbeaten two weeks ago against Olympiacos, so it’s good to get back on track,” said Moyes.

“We’re top of the group, we still have two matches to play but at the moment I think this is the hardest group we’ve had, in our third year in it, and it’s proved to be the case. We’ve done the job tonight. It’s a great result for us.

“Europe has been great for this football club, we’ve had some great nights and long may they continue.”

Paqueta, the best player on the pitch, broke the deadlock in the 74th minute after Bowen’s square pass found James Ward-Prowse.

The former Southampton midfielder chipped the ball forward into the area for Paqueta to fire home on the volley.

The goal was initially ruled out by an assistant referee’s flag, but a VAR check showed the Brazilian was onside and referee Matej Jug, who had infuriated West Ham with some strange decisions all evening, got the biggest cheer of the night when he signalled a goal.

“I don’t think VAR needed to come to the rescue, it was onside, it was a goal,” added Moyes.

“We needed it because the game was very tight, there was very little in it.

“He took the goal brilliantly tonight but there were lots of things I wanted him to do better. We’ve got room for improvement.”

It was a fourth assist in four European outings for Ward-Prowse, who was overlooked by England again earlier in the day, more than a year after his last call-up.

Paqueta pointedly went to the 3,000 travelling fans to celebrate, probably because the West Ham players were targeted by laser pens from Greek supporters in Athens.

West Ham survived a late scare when Mady Camara rattled a post but they held on to complete their European revenge mission.

Lucas Paqueta got West Ham’s Europa League campaign back on track with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Olympiacos.

The Brazil midfielder crashed in a second-half volley to keep the Hammers on top of Group A and to the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages.

It was also a measure of revenge for West Ham, who had accused the Greek team of celebrating their 2-1 win in the reverse fixture two weeks ago as if they had won the Europa League itself.

Olympiacos fans created a hostile atmosphere that night in Athens, unfurling a huge banner across one stand reading ‘Tonight you dine in hell’.

The London Stadium, by contrast, could never be referred to as a cauldron of noise, and besides, ‘Tonight you dine in Westfield’ does not have the same ring to it.

Nevertheless, the place was crackling at kick-off with the Hammers, last season’s Europa Conference League winners, in need of a victory to keep their continental destiny in their own hands.

But a workmanlike but limited Olympiacos proved a tough nut to crack in the opening 45 minutes.

Said Benrahma dragged an early shot wide and then saw a better one saved by visiting goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis.

From the corner James Ward-Prowse’s cross was headed straight at Paschalakis by Nayef Aguerd.

Jarrod Bowen, on the day he earned another call up to the England squad, nodded Vladimir Coufal’s cross wide before Paschalakis was called into action again by Benrahma’s low drive.

Two more Aguerd headers were off target before Olympiacos had their first shot in anger, shortly before half-time, with on-loan Wolves forward Daniel Podence volleying Francisco Ortega’s cross wide.

Ward-Prowse should have given his side the lead on the hour when he met a cutback from Bowen, but the midfielder’s shot was straight at Paschalakis.

But Paqueta, the best player on the pitch, finally broke the deadlock after Bowen’s square pass found Ward-Prowse.

The former Southampton midfielder chipped it forward into the area for Paqueta to fire home on the volley from.

The goal was initially ruled out by an assistant referee’s flag, but a VAR check showed the Brazilian was onside and referee Matej Jug, who had infuriated West Ham with some strange decisions all evening, got the biggest cheer of the night when he signalled a goal.

It was a fourth assist in four European outings for Ward-Prowse, who was overlooked by England again earlier in the day, more than a year after his last call-up.

Paqueta pointedly went to the 3,000 travelling fans to celebrate, probably because the West Ham players were targeted by laser pens from Greek supporters in Athens.

West Ham survived a late scare when Mady Camara rattled a post but they held on to complete their European revenge mission.

What the papers say

David Moyes could remain at West Ham even if his contract as manager expires in the summer, it has been reported. According to the Daily Mail, the 60-year-old is being lined up by Hammers bosses for a job ‘upstairs’, although details of the exact role are not clear. Moyes has been in charge of the club since 2019, but there are reports his future as manager is in doubt following a run of four defeats in five games.

Bristol Live, via Sky Sports, says Liam Manning is closing in on becoming the new Bristol City manager. Manning’s Oxford are second in League One, but the opportunity to go up a division with Bristol City is believed to be too good for the 38-year-old to turn down.

And the Daily Mail reports Steven Gerrard‘s Al Ettifaq are gearing up for a spending spree across Europe as the side looks to dramatically improve their fortunes in the Saudi Pro League. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson joined Al Ettifaq over the summer, while ex-Celtic striker Moussa Dembele is also on the books.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Bruno Fernandes: The Manchester United midfielder is wanted by several Saudi Pro League clubs, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Rayan Cherki: Football Insider reports the Lyon forward is on the radar at Manchester United and Newcastle.

Jeremy Doku joined an exclusive club in Manchester City’s win over Bournemouth, with his four assists one of a host of Premier League records notched up over the weekend.

Jarrod Bowen and Brighton also made bits of history and here, the PA news agency looks at the landmarks headlined by Doku’s virtuoso display.

Four-assist club

Doku inspired the 6-1 thumping of Bournemouth, scoring the first goal and then setting up Bernardo Silva, twice, and Phil Foden as well as seeing a shot deflect in off Manuel Akanji.

Doku is the eighth man – and, at 21, the youngest – to record four assists in a single Premier League game, a feat first achieved by former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp when he set up Ray Parlour’s brace and two of Nicolas Anelka’s hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Leicester in 1999.

The Gunners dominate the list, with Jose Antonio Reyes feeding Thierry Henry, twice, Philippe Senderos and Aleksandr Hleb in 2006’s 7-0 win over Middlesbrough and an imperious Cesc Fabregas setting up the first three, scoring the fourth and laying on the fifth for Theo Walcott in a 6-2 win over Blackburn in 2009.

Emmanuel Adebayor had left Arsenal and returned to north London with Tottenham before he joined the four-assist club in 2012, setting up the first four before scoring himself to round off a 5-0 win over Newcastle.

Santi Cazorla added to the Arsenal contingent in the following season’s 4-1 win over Wigan and Spurs striker Harry Kane remarkably set up Son Heung-min four times before scoring the fifth in 2020’s 5-2 win at Southampton.

Paul Pogba provided the first entry from outside north London in Manchester United’s 5-1 opening-day defeat of Leeds in 2021 and Doku ensured both sides of Manchester are now represented.

Other landmarks

West Ham winger Bowen’s goal at Brentford extended his run of scoring in every away game to a Premier League-record six matches from the start of a season.

The England international opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth and netted the Hammers’ second in a 3-1 win at Brighton before setting them on their way to a 2-1 success at Luton.

They have lost all three away games since but that is not down to Bowen, who scored as they went down 3-1 at Liverpool and 4-1 at Aston Villa and put them 2-1 up in Saturday’s eventual 3-2 loss.

The former Hull star has only one league goal at the London Stadium this term, in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United, and another in the Carabao Cup win over Arsenal.

Brighton’s games have all seen goals for both teams – they have beaten Luton and Wolves 4-1 and Newcastle, Manchester United and Bournemouth 3-1, lost 3-1 to the Hammers, 6-1 at Villa and 2-1 to Manchester City and drawn 2-2 with Liverpool and 1-1 with Fulham and now Everton.

Eleven games is the longest such run from the start of a season, beating the record of nine by Middlesbrough in 2000-01 and Leicester on their way to the 2015-16 title.

The Seagulls’ last four results of last season were 1-4, 3-1, 1-1 and 1-2, leaving them one away from Everton’s all-time Premier League record of 16 consecutive games in which both teams have scored.

That was set between September 2012 and January 2013 and featured eight draws – five 1-1s and three 2-2s. It ended with back-to-back goalless draws against Swansea and Southampton.

David Moyes admitted he would have been “disgusted” with himself as a player if he had made some of the mistakes West Ham made against Brentford.

The Hammers’ Brentford curse struck again after Nathan Collins condemned them to a 3-2 defeat on an unlikely afternoon of firsts in west London.

Defender Collins scored his first goal for the club after Jarrod Bowen became the first player in Premier League history to score in each of his side’s first six away matches.

There was also a first goal in 35 matches, and 14 months, for Brentford forward Neal Maupay.

Unfortunately for West Ham, it was a first Premier League win – or even point – against the Bees which eluded them. Thomas Frank’s side have the hoodoo over the Hammers having won all five meetings since they were promoted.

“We weren’t talking about anything weird and wonderful,” said former centre-half Moyes.

“We’ve found that we’ve not dealt with things which as a player I would have been disgusted with myself for not being able to deal with them much better.

“I don’t think my teams do that. That is why I am annoyed that I’ve come here and not been able to defend when put under pressure.”

Maupay headed Brentford into a 10th-minute lead with his first goal since he scored against West Ham in September 2022.

West Ham equalised through a stunning volley from Ghana winger Mohammed Kudus and were ahead after 26 minutes through Bowen’s strike.

But a glaring miss from Michail Antonio before half-time proved costly as West Ham fell foul of two Brentford crosses, with an own goal from Konstantinos Mavropanos and Collins’ fine header giving Brentford a third straight win.

“The first goal was ‘Keystone Cops’,” added Moyes. “If you see that today, how can you win if you don’t deal with those moments?

“The second cross comes from (Bryan) Mbuemo and we should have dealt with that, then a cross to the back post and Collins gets it.

“We’re talking about small things, but small things lead to bigger things. We didn’t deal well enough with the small things.”

Brentford climbed above West Ham after a third straight victory and a 14th London derby without defeat.

“If feels of course very good,” said Frank. “Every win in the Premier League feels fantastic and coming back from 2-1 down, against a good team, and also a good performance makes me a happy man.

“I’m smiling, I’m so pleased for Neal. The last three weeks he was showing more and more in training with the sharp touches, the good finishes, more and more confident, getting up to his best level.

“The players were really celebrating Neal’s goal, and that tells you a lot about the group. A goalscoring run? That would be nice.”

Nathan Collins secured a 3-2 win for Brentford over West Ham on an unlikely afternoon of firsts in west London.

Defender Collins scored his first goal for the Bees after Jarrod Bowen became the first player in Premier League history to score in each of his side’s first six away matches.

There was also a first goal in 35 matches, and 14 months, for Brentford forward Neal Maupay.

Unfortunately for West Ham, it was a first Premier League win – or even point – against the Bees which eluded them. Thomas Frank’s side have the hoodoo over the Hammers having won all five meetings since they were promoted.

Maupay’s last goal was for Everton in a 1-0 win against none other than West Ham, at Goodison Park in September 2022.

So it came as little surprise to anyone of a claret and blue persuasion that he would end his drought here. It took him only 10 minutes and it was the scruffiest of goals, but the 27-year-old could not have cared less.

Yoane Wissa had a shot blocked in a crowded West Ham penalty area and Frank Onyeka’s swipe at the rebound bounced into the ground and up for Maupay to glance past Alphonse Areola.

If that goal was not exactly one for the purists, West Ham’s equaliser certainly was.

Michail Antonio crossed from the left and Mohammed Kudus steadied himself before executing a stunning, acrobatic volley across Bees keeper Mark Flekken and into the far corner.

It was the Ghana winger’s fifth goal since joining West Ham from Ajax, on what was only his second Premier League start.

West Ham took the lead after 26 minutes as Bowen grabbed his landmark goal.

Kudus diverted Said Benrahma’s cross onto the far post and Bowen was on hand to tuck away the rebound, the goal surviving a VAR check for handball against the England winger.

West Ham should have led 3-1 at the break but Antonio, in trying to get on the end of Bowen’s cross, inadvertently made a goal-saving challenge to prevent Benrahma scoring with a far-post tap-in.

Instead, 10 minutes into the second half it was 2-2.

Hammers boss David Moyes had just been booked for chirruping away at fourth official John Busby, and his mood did not improve when defender Konstantinos Mavropanos headed Bryan Mbeumo’s cross into his own net.

West Ham would probably have settled for a point but Brentford did not, and in the 69th minute Mathias Jensen crossed from the right and Collins rose highest at the far post to head the winner.

Jarrod Bowen became the first player to net in his team's first six Premier League away games of the season with his goal against Brentford on Saturday.

With 26 minutes on the clock at the Gtech Community Stadium, Bowen poked home the rebound after Mohammed Kudus' shot hit the post to make it 2-1 to the Hammers, creating history in the process as he also became the first West Ham player to score in six in a row on the road in the competition.

The goal took him to seven on the season and separated him from the illustrious company of Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah, who prior to this season were the only two players to net in their team's first five away games of the Premier League season.

Bowen has been a key player for West Ham since arriving from Hull City in January 2020 for an initial fee of £18 million, and his seven Premier League goals this campaign mean he has already beaten last term's disappointing tally of six after just 11 games.

Manchester United’s woes continued as their defence of the Carabao Cup ended with a 3-0 loss to Newcastle at Old Trafford.

The fourth-round rematch between last season’s finalists saw Newcastle strike twice in the first half through Miguel Almiron and Lewis Hall.

Joe Willock then added a third just past the hour mark as Erik ten Hag’s side slumped to an eighth defeat in all competitions this season, and second 3-0 reverse at home in four days following Sunday’s loss to Manchester City.

Arsenal were also eliminated, going down 3-1 at West Ham as Declan Rice returned to the London Stadium.

An early Ben White own-goal put the Hammers in front and finishes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen followed after the break before Martin Odegaard scored a consolation goal for the Gunners in stoppage time.

Liverpool advanced to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth sealed by substitute Darwin Nunez’s stunning strike.

The Uruguayan fired in what proved the winner in the 70th minute, six minutes after Justin Kluivert’s first Bournemouth goal had cancelled out Cody Gakpo’s first-half opener.

Chelsea beat Blackburn 2-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals in either half from Benoit Badiashile and Raheem Sterling.

Everton boss Sean Dyche saw his side beat his old club Burnley 3-0 at Goodison Park, with ex-Claret James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Ashley Young getting on the scoresheet.

Fulham won 3-1 at Championship high-fliers Ipswich. Harry Wilson, Muniz and Tom Cairney put the Cottagers three goals up before Elkan Baggott reduced the deficit late on.

Mikel Arteta took the blame for Arsenal’s painful 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat at West Ham.

Arteta made six changes to his line-up for the fourth-round clash, starting with Declan Rice on the bench on his Hammers homecoming.

Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy as West Ham captain last season, was back at his old club for the first time since his £105million switch to the Gunners.

But he will not be getting his hands on the Carabao Cup this season after strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, following an early own goal by Ben White, sent the north Londoners crashing out.

“I’m very disappointed,” said Gunners boss Arteta. “I’m responsible for that, we’re out of the cup, we wanted to play a very different game and compete.

“The game took a direction because of the first goal but we have to see much more from the team and earn the right to win.

“I’m disappointed with myself. We wanted to play in a different way and we weren’t able to do that. Every time we lose the pain is there.

“We have to use this pain and this defeat to prepare the best way for Newcastle on Saturday.”

West Ham took the lead after 15 minutes when Bowen’s corner was inadvertently headed past Aaron Ramsdale by White at the near post.

The second goal arrived in the 50th minute when Ghana winger Kudus collected a long ball into the box from Nayef Aguerd, skipped past Oleksandr Zinchenko and rifled a low shot through the legs of Gabriel and into the net.

Rice was the only goalscorer the last time West Ham beat Arsenal, in the Premier League in 2019.

“You should have signed for a big club” was the mischievous chant aimed at the 24-year-old when he came out to warm up.

Much of the build-up to the match centred around the reception the England midfielder would receive and when he was sent on in the 56th minute the boos were quickly drowned out by a standing ovation from most of the home fans.

But, before Rice had a chance to get into the game, West Ham had a third after Bowen collected White’s headed clearance and lashed it past Ramsdale via a deflection off Jakub Kiwior.

Martin Odegaard scored a consolation goal with the last kick but it was West Ham’s night as they marched into the quarter-finals.

“It was a really good solid team performance. The forward players did a really good job and for long periods we were good defensively. For most of it we coped well,” said boss David Moyes.

“Maybe we are becoming quite a good cup team. I want to be a really good league team if I can be but if I can’t quite do that then we have to do well in the cups if we can.

“We have only won against Arsenal, we don’t get trophies for that.”