West Ham United equalled a 103-year-old club record with a 6-0 away victory at Lincoln City on Wednesday, a result that lifts Nuno Espírito Santo's side to third in the Championship standings. The Irons took ruthless advantage after the hosts had two players sent off inside the opening 23 minutes at the ProAmpac Stadium.
Konstantinos Mavropanos broke the deadlock just before half-time, heading in a Jarrod Bowen corner for his fifth goal in seven league games. The floodgates opened after the break, with substitute Edvin Austbø firing in a spectacular second before Bowen added a third. Pablo Felipe Pereira de Jesus netted his first league goal for the club and Tomáš Souček, returning from injury, scored twice late on to complete the rout.
Lincoln see red early
The match turned decisively in West Ham's favour inside three minutes when Lincoln left-back Tom Hamer was dismissed for a high challenge on Joël Veltman. The hosts' task became impossible when midfielder Conor McGrandles received a straight red card for a professional foul on Bowen after 23 minutes. "I credit Lincoln as even with one man down they were in the game and still creating a lot of problems for us," said West Ham head coach Nuno Espírito Santo. "It became difficult to find the gaps."
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Lincoln's manager Tom Shaw praised his team's spirit. "They are incredible fellas and top pros - they didn't let us down and they will learn from this as will we as a group and we'll move forward," Shaw said.
Bowen leads the charge
With a two-man advantage, West Ham dominated possession with 83% of the ball and registered 32 shots. Bowen was central to the victory, providing two assists and scoring his sixth goal of the season, making him the club's top scorer. This emphatic victory is a continuation of West Ham's excellent recent form, which has seen them win four of their last five league games. The team's prolific attack, which has now scored 29 goals, is detailed in the club's comprehensive stats page. The comprehensive win moves West Ham onto 19 points from 10 games, just four points behind leaders Swansea City ahead of Saturday's trip to south Wales.
The result matches West Ham's previous record away league win, a 6-0 triumph at Leicester City in the Second Division in February 1923. Souček's late double, his first goals since returning to fitness, capped a perfect night. The team now prepares for a key clash at the Swansea.
