The strange thing was that none of Sheffield United’s players even tried to get stuck into West Ham. Paul Heckingbottom’s side were insipid beyond belief on an afternoon devoid of any drama or intensity, their defensive foundations crumbling under the slightest pressure. It said little for their hopes of staying up that they were so easily swatted aside by opponents who spent most of the second half protecting their legs before visiting Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday.
West Ham were playing the game on their terms by that stage, goals from Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek inside the opening 37 minutes allowing them to save their energy for tougher assignments. If there were positives for Sheffield United, who remain bottom after earning one point from their opening seven games, it was only that they did not lose by more. Do not be fooled by hints of defiance when it was 2-0: West Ham finished the job during the first half, exposing naive defending with a few moments of class, and the absence of anything in the way of spirit or organisation when it was goalless will do little to end speculation over Heckingbottom’s future.
It was easy to imagine the Sheffield United manager placing his entire focus on making his side hard to beat after that 8-0 defeat to Newcastle. If so, it would require Sheffield United to stay switched on throughout. They would have to snap into every challenge and make life horrible for West Ham.
As it was, however, the visitors seemed incapable of mustering much in the way of competitiveness. The writing was on the wall as early as the fifth minute, when meek defending from James McAtee allowed Bowen to wriggle inside from the right.
All that spared McAtee’s blushes was a poor finish from Soucek, who fired over from close range, but there was no sign of the visitors heeding the warning. They were lucky not to concede when Bowen headed a corner from James Ward-Prowse straight at Wes Foderingham and, while the visitors offered a brief hint of a threat when Cameron Archer forced Nayef Aguerd to block a shot, it was not a surprise to see their resistance fade so quickly.
West Ham always seemed capable of locating an extra gear during the first half, particularly when Lucas Paquetá was drifting in from the left to create. When the opener arrived, though, Paquetá had no part to play. A patient move developed on the opposite flank and involved Edson Álvarez and Bowen combining before Soucek released Vladimir Coufal with a beautiful pass.
Jarrod Bowen celebrates after giving West Ham the league against Sheffield United. Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images
The crispness of football worthy of West Ham’s attacking traditions was too much for Sheffield United. Coufal’s forays from right-back overwhelmed Luke Thomas and nobody had stayed with Bowen’s run from deep. Given time to open up his body, there was no chance of Bowen missing as he met Coufal’s cutback with the inside of his left foot and guided a low finish beyond Foderingham for his fifth goal of the season.
West Ham were soon chasing further goals, with only desperate defending denying Michail Antonio before the striker shot wide from 20 yards. Sheffield United were hanging on and the pressure told when a tentative attempt to play out from the back culminated in Gustavo Hamer, who had dropped back from midfield, conceding possession with a dreadful pass. Emerson Palmieri intercepted, Antonio found Soucek and the midfielder grabbed his first league goal of the season.
Sheffield United, who lost their captain, John Egan, to injury, had to fight. The first half ended with Oli McBurnie wasting a golden opportunity and the second began with Coufal diverting an effort from Archer. Then Alphonse Areola had to make a save, blocking a header from Anel Ahmedhodzic.
West Ham needed an injection of energy and wasted a chance to make it 3-0 after an hour, Antonio and Bowen squandering opportunities, but there was no way back for Sheffield United. Winless, devoid of belief and low on quality, they already look destined to return to the Championship.
