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West Ham United’s early-season woes deepened on Tuesday night as a dramatic late turnaround from Wolves dumped the Hammers out of the Carabao Cup – and left captain Jarrod Bowen in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
The England international appeared visibly frustrated at full-time, exchanging words with a supporter in the away end before attempting to clamber over the advertising boards at Molineux. Teammates quickly pulled him away to prevent a confrontation. Moments later, Bowen removed his armband and made his way down the tunnel with his head lowered.
Bowen later issued an apology to fans on Instagram, writing: "Apologies to the fans for tonight's reaction. I'm someone who is passionate and will fight every time I step on the pitch. But I need to set a better example and you fans know how much I love you and this club!"
It was the third consecutive defeat in all competitions for Graham Potter’s side, who had already suffered a 5-1 thrashing at home to Chelsea and a 3-0 loss to Sunderland on the opening day of the Premier League. The latest setback leaves the manager under pressure just weeks into the new campaign.
Speaking after the match, Potter admitted he had not been made aware of the details of the incident involving his captain but defended Bowen’s character. "He is a fantastic captain, servant, player and person for the club," he said. "Our supporters have been fantastic. They are hurting because of the results we have had and Jarrod obviously cares about the club and the team. He gave everything again and it was just an exchange of views by people who care. The most important relationship at a club is between the fans and the team. We need our fans and everyone to stick together. The team is suffering at the moment. We are all hurting, I can assure you no-one is celebrating or happy about what we're doing. We're all in pain."
Bowen concluded his Instagram apology with a sentiment for West Ham supporters: "We ride through the bad times together, and I'll see you all Sunday."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @jarrodbowen, Pixabay / jorono
