Following West Ham United's 2-2 draw with Millwall, captain Bowen reflected on playing in the derby as skipper and described it as a "proper derby."

Bowen wore the West Ham captain's armband for the first time on Saturday in the away match against derby rivals Millwall. Just 15 seconds into the game, he was fouled by a fierce tackle from Millwall midfielder Jensen Metcalfe.

In the first half, Millwall dominated the physical battle and took a 2-0 lead. However, West Ham regrouped after halftime, and with goals from substitute Mohamedou Kanté and in-form Konstantinos Mavropanos in the second half, they fought back to secure a draw and claim one point.

"That's what a derby is about," Bowen said. "We knew the atmosphere was going to be electric. In the first half, we didn't handle the game well and didn't play the way we wanted. We conceded two goals from set-piece defensive errors, which was definitely our own fault."

"But on the other hand, we showed great fighting spirit and eventually came back to get a point. Of course, we wanted to win, but to come back in those circumstances and get a point, I think the result is acceptable."

"I don't think we played well enough in the first half. We lost too many duels and made too many mistakes, many of which were quite basic."

"If you allow a team like that to gain momentum, and the fans get excited and are behind them for the whole game, that's something we have to try to limit, but we didn't do that in the first half."

"But as I said, the most important thing in the second half was not to concede any more goals and to try to score the first goal to get ourselves back into the game. We did that, and then we scored a second goal."

"We always believe in our spirit and our fighting mentality."

So what exactly was said in the dressing room at halftime that completely changed the course of the game in the second half?

"Honestly, not much was said because we knew what we needed to do," Bowen explained. "The most important message was: 'Don't concede any more goals, make sure we score first. It doesn't matter if it's in five minutes or forty minutes.'"

"We always believe in our spirit and our fighting mentality. When we scored the first goal, our confidence increased. You know, when a team is 2-0 up, once the opponent pulls one back, the dynamics of the game change."

"The game was indeed a bit tense in the final stages, and we knew we could capitalize on that."

"Of course, we didn't want to be in such a situation in a derby, but everyone deserves credit. We fought back bravely in the end and earned a point."

The match was full of fierce tackles, aerial duels, late aggressive fouls, and off-the-pitch clashes, but Bowen saw no issue with the game's intensity.

"These are the challenges you face in football, especially in such an important derby," he said. "We knew the atmosphere would be fantastic, and we knew they would give their all from the start. Tackles, songs, and everything else are part of football, part of this derby and the rivalry between the two teams."

"If you're a neutral fan, it might have been a very exciting game. Of course, if you're a West Ham fan, the first half certainly wasn't pretty; and if you're a Millwall fan, the second half wouldn't have been pretty either."

"But ultimately, I think for us it was a good result."

Bowen Praises Two Goal-Scorers

Bowen also specifically praised West Ham's two goal-scorers in the match.

Kanté scored in his second consecutive Championship game, while Mavropanos scored his fourth goal in his last five league appearances, helping the team equalize with his trademark header.

"Mo's first goal was brilliant," Bowen said. "He's still very young, but to make such a good touch and then calmly finish—it was an excellent goal."

"After that, we had a lot of corners, and we felt we weren't effectively challenging their goalkeeper. It seemed like their goalkeeper was always able to claim the ball. I don't even know how many corners we had in the second half, but there were plenty."

"So Mano and I decided to try something different. Mano delivered a beautiful cross, and Dinos did what he does best."

"Celebrating in front of the fans after equalizing—those moments are truly wonderful."

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