After winning only one of their previous five Betway Cup finals, West Ham United were looking to end their bad streak and finish their pre-season preparations on a high note.

Goals from Jarrod Bowen and Felipe Anderson weren't enough to beat their today's opponents, AFC Bournemouth, with Arnaut Danjuma, Dominic Solanke, Adam Smith, Dan Gosling and youngster Jaidon Anthony scoring for the Cherries as they've come away on top.

  • Story of the game

After a good opening from the Hammers, the first chance of the game fell to Bournemouth as Arnaut Danjuma put in a dangerous cross towards Dominic Solanke who made a right mess out of it.

But just a minute later the Dutch winger got his own chance and put The Cherries ahead with a smart finish after a good solo run.

Going off their previous chance, the visitors started piling on the pressure which ultimately resulted in another goal.

A good run and cut-back from Adam Smith saw Dominic Solanke have a chance against an open goal, which he converted calmly.

And that's when West Ham's problems started.

A very poor showing from Ben Johnson had seen the youngster dragged off at the 25th-minute mark before Manuel Lanzini went off with a muscle injury just five minutes later.

But as it looked to be a disastrous afternoon for the Hammers, a double-trouble from Josh Cullen and Jarrod Bowen made it quickly two-all before half-time.

Unfortunately, hosts couldn't keep their good run going and conceded three goals in just under ten minutes.

Dan Gosling put Bournemouth back in front with a well-taken strike from the edge of the area after a bit of a scramble in the box following Solanke's shot that hit the post.

Four minutes later it was already back to a two-goal deficit as the captain Adam Smith finished with a first-time strike.

And to add to West Ham's misery, substitute youngster Jaidon Anthony scored with a fantastic strike into the top corner, just out of David Martin's reach.

The Hammers have tried to pull it back late on through Felipe Anderson's near-post header, but it ultimately wasn't enough and they fell short by two goals.

  • Takeaways

Lack of cover could prove costly

It shouldn't be rocket science that a Premier League club should have enough players to field at least two competitive sides. Unfortunately, West Ham are currently far from it.

Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks have yet again shown that David Moyes needs to strengthen his teams' defensive depth. Additionally, the struggles of Sebastien Haller put question marks over their striker situation following the sales of Albian Ajeti and Jordan Hugill.

Josh Cullen deserves a chance

Following two good seasons on loan at Charlton Athletic, the 24-year-old proved himself today as someone who might be needed at West Ham in the nearest future.

Subbed on for Manuel Lanzini, he provided two assists to Jarrod Bowen, including a beautiful cross from a deep position to the back post.

Not only that, but he also provided much-needed composure in the midfield area, keeping the ball under pressure on multiple occasions.