THE walk from Stratford Tube station to West Ham United’s new home is more West End than East End. Gone is the overwhelming, smoky stench of burger vans along Green Street.

The terraced homes that line the main drag from Upton Park station to the Boleyn Ground enjoy peace and quiet on Saturday and Sunday afternoons now, while that quick-paced walk is now more of a midsummer stroll in the pleasant, leafy surroundings of the Olympic campus.

The spit and sawdust of London’s deepest East End is now something wholly more sterile for West Ham United, yet this is the future.

The same thing could come to AFC Bournemouth should they extend their stay in English football’s top flight. A new home perhaps? Maybe on the ‘outskirts’ as London Stadium probably feels for Hammers, who reside in Claret and Blue strongholds like Canning Town.

Not that the new home of East End football makes Slaven Bilic’s team any easier to beat. Cherries accomplished that feat in the Boleyn Ground’s final season. Yesterday’s dawn of a new era at London Stadium was a different affair.

Already this looks a season which will test Eddie Howe like no other in his still-brief managerial career. It’s easy to forget in all the success that AFC Bournemouth’s favourite son has been, to coin Arsene Wenger’s phrase, sat on the top of the volcano for just seven years.

For large parts of this clash Cherries were poor, both in possession and out of it. Their cause was not helped when Harry Arter was sent off 13 minutes from time.

And in truth, Howe will be disappointed by some of his players’ performances. Jordon Ibe, in particular, was off the pace and unable to keep possession for any meaningful length of time.

After the bubbles cleared, it was West Ham who dictated from the off.

Simon Francis did well to hold off the attentions of Michail Antonio early on, guiding the ball back to Artur Boruc under real pressure. Moments later, as West Ham attacked with gusto, Gokhan Tore curled over from the edge of the penalty area.

On 10 minutes, with Cherries unable to get out of their own half, Steve Cook was forced to block Enner Valencia’s shot from distance.

Cherries gave away far too much possession in the opening 20 minutes, a cardinal sin in a division where it can take what seems like an age to win the ball back. The home side also used their wide men to far greater effect, with Mark Noble’s centre-midfield ball-playing the catalyst for some of their best moves down the flanks.

Howe remained rooted in the technical area, at least 20 yards from the bench due to the stadium’s running track, shoulders down. If the Cherries boss despises anything, it is gifting the ball to the opposition.

Cheikhou Kouyate blazed well over on 35 minutes, before a quick break minutes later almost saw the game’s opening goal. Andrew Surman’s attempted pass to Joshua King was intercepted and both Valencia and Noble did well to feed the ball to Antonio, but the winger’s shot was a poor, scuffed effort.

Sam Byram was lucky to stay on the pitch when first charging Ryan Fraser after the Scotsman looked to go by him and then, seconds later, felling Callum Wilson.

Valencia then forced Boruc to save on the angle five minutes before half-time as Cherries failed again to stifle West Ham’s attacking intent.

Cherries were brighter after the restart. Adam Smith fired low at Adrian on 48 minutes and was looking to get forward more than he had in the first half.

Ibe then made a poor decision two minutes later when electing to cross rather than shoot after he was beautifully played in by King. It was a superb opportunity.

As Cherries continued to impress, King’s 30-yard effort was miraculously tipped over the crossbar by Adrian.

At the other end just before the hour mark, some neat build-up play between Noble and Antonio saw the latter cross dangerously but Tore fired into the side-netting. On 65 minutes, Adrian easily saved Ibe’s left-foot drive.

It felt as if Cherries’ little post-half-time flourish was their peak in this match. The game settled back into a pedestrian rhythm. Ibe’s crossed free-kick on 66 minutes was woeful and sailed into the new Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.

As the match edged towards the final 10 minutes, Arter, who had been booked in the first half, was dismissed for a clumsy foul on Kouyate. Howe immediately replaced Ibe with Nathan Ake in a bid to cling on to a point with 10 men.

They could not.

Tore, who was superb, crossed and Antonio out-jumped Charlie Daniels at the far post to score.

King and Francis were both denied late on, while substitute Jonathan Calleri fluffed his lines when clean through with the final kick of the game.

LINE-UPS AND RATINGS

Hammers: Adrian; Byram, Collins, Reid, Masuaku; Tore (Obiang, 89), Noble, Kouyate, Nordtveit (Fletcher, 80), Antonio; Valencia (Calleri, 62).

Unused subs: Ogbonna, Burke, Oxford, Randolph (g/k).

Booked: Byram, Obiang.

Cherries: Boruc 6.5; Smith 6.5, Francis 6.5, Cook 7.5*, Daniels 6; Ibe 5.5 (Ake, 78), Arter 5.5, Surman 6, Fraser 6 (Gosling, 86); King 5.5, Wilson 6 (Grabban, 74).

Unused subs: Afobe, Gradel, Smith, Federici (g/k).

Booked: Arter, Cook.

Sent off: Arter.

Referee: Craig Pawson.

Attendance: 56,977.