Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus made a significant impact in West Ham's 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.
Coming on in the 74th minute to replace Niclas Füllkrug, Kudus secured his first attacking contribution of the season with an assist in the 88th minute, setting up Jarrod Bowen for the decisive goal.
The match saw West Ham and Bournemouth evenly matched, with Bournemouth holding more possession while West Ham had more shots on target. Despite Bournemouth's dominance in possession, their wastefulness in front of goal was punished late in the game.
Kudus' assist proved pivotal, and with no VAR intervention, Bournemouth had no relief. The win extends West Ham's head-to-head record against Bournemouth to seven wins, with Bournemouth having five wins and five draws.
West Ham will next host reigning champions Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, while Bournemouth will travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on the same day.