A place in West Ham United’s folklore seemed a long way off for Michail Antonio after his ignominious substitution at Stamford Bridge last Monday.
Yet, after scoring his club’s first league goal at the London Stadium in this narrow victory over ten-man Bournemouth, it is his name that will go down in the record books.
After a laboured display by his team-mates, Antonio headed from close range late on to take advantage of Harry Arter's dismissal and save the Hammers’ housewarming party from fizzling out.
After all, if the farewell to Upton Park was a long goodbye – and some say Marlon Harewood is still trying to hail one of those claret and blue Hackney carriages home – the Hammers’ ‘hello’ to the London Stadium has been just as protracted.
This was their third ‘first’ game here. The club’s desired curtain raiser, a friendly against Juventus, was preceded by a Europa League qualifier against the third-best team in Slovenia.
This opening league fixture in Stratford, however, felt like the proper introduction. More European nights are wanted, especially against the continent’s most illustrious clubs, but this stadium will host common and garden games against teams like Bournemouth more often than not.
If Slaven Bilic’s side were to get off to a winning start, they would have to do so without Dimitri Payet. A knock prevented the Hammers’ talisman from making a matchday squad already weakened by injury.
Andy Carroll, the latest casualty, will be out for six weeks with knee problem sustained in Thursday’s trip to Astra Giurgiu. “Devastated about my recent injured [sic] but I'm still the 15-20 goal man,” he tweeted. He’s averaged six each season since arriving in east London.
Nevertheless, the pair’s absence should have buoyed Eddie Howe’s side, who picked up their first ever top-flight victory in the reverse fixture last season. Yet the visitors posed little threat in the opening stages.
All attacking impetus came through West Ham’s wingers and Antonio routinely found space out on the left. His first cross found its way to Gokhan Tore on the opposite wing, but after cutting inside on his stronger foot, the Besiktas loanee could only fire over.
Tore would try this trick on several occasions throughout the first half and, despite the repetition, it seemed to confound Bournemouth’s left-back Charlie Daniels time and again. When the winger won a free-kick on the very edge of the area, Daniels was lucky not to concede a spot-kick.
He was not the only full-back leaving his foot in. Sam Byram, Antonio’s replacement in the Hammers’ backline, was lucky not see red for two reducers in the same phase of play. Craig Pawson, our referee, waved advantage after his first bone-cruncher on Ryan Fraser. The second, moments later, on Callum Wilson brought only a yellow.
Enner Valencia tested Artur Boruc with a shot from a tight angle five minutes from the break, but the visiting keeper comfortably palmed away. It was the only shot on target of a first half that was equally impotent in atmosphere. As the home support moved backstage for the pop-up bars, the away section rang out: “Is this the Emirates?”
West Ham’s start to the second half was just as subdued. Adrian, usually comfortable when handling the ball, dropped an early corner. Bournemouth rallied and shortly after, Jordon Ibe should have scored. The Cherries’ record signing was subtly slipped through by Joshua King, yet passed up the game’s best opportunity up to that point, choosing to cross rather than shoot.
A minute later, and seemingly frustrated by his team-mate’s indecision, King himself unleashed a rasping effort that looked destined for the top right-hand corner. Adrian acrobatically tipped the ball over but the shift in momentum was clear. Bournemouth were building.
Bilic was forced to make the long walk out from his dugout to the touchline. His side responded. Tore fired after being picked out at the far post, but found only the side netting. The effort led to a bellow that befitted the 57,000 capacity, even if half of that number thought the winger had scored.
This contest had suddenly found its rhythm, but before this stadium’s first Premier League goal, we received its first red card. Harry Arter, who earned a first booking in the first half under the new regulations for dissent, received his second after a more conventional foul on Chiekhou Kouyate.
A man up now, West Ham looked likeliest to lead. Jonathan Calleri was introduced, having just joined from Deportivo Maldonado, but he only wasted a decent opening by firing high over the top.
Eventually though, the breakthrough came. Tore, an industrious presence all afternoon, chased Antonio’s heavy cross and sent it back into the area, towards the far post, where his fellow winger rose to nod over the line.
In the final moments, Bournemouth almost found an equaliser but Adrian denied King and Winston Reid blocked Simon Francis' effort from the rebound.
The ball then broke to Calleri, who had the chance to round off the victory with Bournemouth's defence stranded upfield. The Argentine dashed down the pitch and soon bore down on goal but he could only shoot wide.
Not the most auspicious start for the striker. Nor, on the whole, for his team. But the performance was not of importance. There may be confusion over what to call the London Stadium but it has at least been christened with a win.
West Ham United (4-5-1): Adrian; Byram, Collins, Reid, Masuaku; Nordtveit (Fletcher, 80), Noble, Kouyate, Tore (Obiang, 89), Antonio; Valencia (Calleri, 63)
Substitutes not used: Randolph, Ogbonna, Burke, Oxford.
Bournemouth (4-3-3): Boruc; A. Smith, Francis (Gosling, 86), Cook, Daniels; Surman, Arter, Fraser; Ibe (Ake, 79), King, Wilson (Grabban, 75).
Substitutes not used: Federici, Afobe, Gradel, B. Smith.
Referee: C Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Man of the match: Tore
Match rating: 4/10
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