West Ham United made another huge Championship statement with a 6-0 thrashing of Wrexham on Friday night.
The Hammers took the lead in the 28th minute as Jarrod Bowen made a late run into the box to connect with Morato’s low cross. Joel Piroe then made it 2-0 eight minutes before half-time, converting following great work from Taty Castellanos.
Konstantinos Mavropanos put the game to bed right after half-time, heading a Bowen corner beyond the desperately sprawling Anthony Patterson. Castellanos then grabbed a goal of his own just after the hour mark, applying an ice-cold finishing touch to a Hammers break spearheaded by Kyle Walker-Peters.
The fun didn’t stop there for the hosts. Substitute Mohamadou Kante ghosted through the Wrexham midfield before beautifully bringing down Manor Solomon’s pass and beating the helpless Patterson. Solomon then got himself on the scoresheet late on, curling an effort beyond Patterson via the inside of the post — giving Walker-Peters his second assist of the night in the process.
Jarrod Bowen continues Championship demolition
Jarrod Bowen remaining with West Ham to captain them in the Championship was one of the stories of the summer. The England international had registered double-figure goals in each of his last five campaigns and was a genuine force to be reckoned with in the Premier League. Even at 29 years old, there would have been no shortage of suitors who would have paid good sums to sign him.
But Bowen is clearly very proud to be captaining West Ham, and he looks like he’s on a one-man mission to drag them straight back into the Premier League.
Bowen ripped Wrexham to shreds on Friday night, scoring West Ham’s first and assisting the third. They were just two moments in a performance that produced a match-high five chances created, as well as four shots, two crosses and four touches in the opposition box, alongside a tackle, two interceptions and seven recoveries on the defensive side.
Clearly a step above the rest at this level, Bowen is providing the crucial clinical touch and isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. This was arguably his best performance of the season so far and takes him to six goals and four assists in nine appearances across all competitions — with four goals and three assists coming in his seven league outings.
With Bowen in this form, it’s hard to see West Ham’s second-tier stay extending longer than a year.
Contrasting fortunes for two high-profile Championship sides
It was a rough start to the season for West Ham. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men drew away at Burnley and Watford, either side of a 2-1 defeat at home to Charlton.
Since then, however, they’ve been perfect. The Hammers have beaten Wolves, Derby, Bolton and Wrexham with 15 goals scored (3.75 per game), averaging a whopping 19.75 shots per game during that time.
This was comfortably their best performance of the season, however, with West Ham coupling airtight defensive solidity with their attacking flair to keep just their second clean sheet of the season. Wrexham couldn’t cope with them and didn’t land a single punch in return, managing just five shots worth 0.28 xG.
West Ham’s ability to keep hold of the core of their 2025/26 squad saw them enter the Championship with a Premier League calibre group of players. Now, they’re really showing it, and they’re looking increasingly difficult to stop.
Wrexham, on the other hand, are flattering to deceive right now.
Eyes are always going to be on the Welsh side thanks to their Hollywood owners and Netflix show. But this performance won’t make for pretty viewing when the next series airs.
Playing in front of the biggest crowd in their history, Wrexham looked lost, failing to find any attacking rhythm and being cut open at will by a superior West Ham side. By the end, it almost looked like Phil Parkinson’s side had completely given up.
There’s no dressing it up now: it’s been a poor start to the season for the Reds. This was their worst performance by far, but Wrexham now have just one win from seven matches, sinking to 16th with every single team below them having at least one game in hand.
Goals have been a problem for Wrexham, who have scored more than once in a single game on just one occasion so far. But on Friday, their usually reliable defence also abandoned them.
Parkinson needs a quick response if Wrexham are to continue captivating audiences this season. Otherwise, he could find himself under pressure from newly-hired sporting director Steve Nickson.
What next for West Ham and Wrexham?
West Ham’s next 3 fixtures:
- Fulham (H, EFL Cup)
- Millwall (A, Championship)
- QPR (H, Championship)
Wrexham’s next 3 fixtures:
- Southampton (H, Championship)
- Derby County (A, Championship)
- West Brom (H, Championship)