Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek rushed to help a ball boy caught up in a crush of West Ham United supporters celebrating the second goal against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park . The supporters surged forward following Bowen’s strike, causing the pitchside advertising hoarding to collapse. A ball boy seated behind one electronic board found himself trapped underneath them. Bowen and Soucek sprang into action while celebrating nearby, with the latter seen lifting the broken hoardings to free the youngster, with both he and Bowen then checking on his well-being. Their concern didn’t end there; after ensuring the ball boy was OK, the players checked how he was again before stadium security led him away. They also spoke with him after the match, with one giving the boy his shirt. Reflecting after the 2-0 win, Bowen recalled:
“I just managed to grab him out as quick as possible. It was just instinct to do it, and I’ve seen him after the game; he’s got my top now, and he’s smiling, so he’s all good, which is good to see.”
Soucek had given West Ham the lead five minutes, scoring midway through the second half after picking up the pieces inside the area after Aaron Wan-Bissaka had found Bowen before firing past Dean Henderson. The West Ham captain doubled the visitors’ advantage on the counter-attack with a fine finish. Despite kicking off the season with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at home, West Ham quickly bounced back. Similarly, Palace felt the sting of an opening-day loss, falling to Brentford by the same scoreline.
