It was a night to forget for West Ham United and their defence when Newcastle United’s rampant stars came to the London Stadium in midweek, and a former Hammer won’t let them forget it in a hurry.
In a match that the east Londoners really needed to be looking to win in order to strengthen their Premier League credentials for another season, they were no match for Eddie Howe’s swashbuckling side.
Most of the goals that the Magpies scored were avoidable from a West Ham point of view, given that rather than being brilliant play from the visitors, they came about because of mistakes from the home team.
With games running out for David Moyes and his men, and with Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and Man United still to play before the end of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, losing so definitively will almost certainly have knocked confidence heavily.
The old saying when the going gets tough the tough get going could certainly apply because if the Hammers don’t get tough quickly they’ll drop down into the Championship.
James Collins, a former Hammers stalwart was really unhappy about one aspect of play, saying on BBC Five Live and noted by the BBC Sport’s Live report:
“It’s a terrible start. West Ham had got themselves back into it and had something to build on.
“Fabianski rolls it to Aguerd who gets his feet in a mess. It’s not an intense press but he has got the ball caught under his feet.
“It’s a shocking start for West Ham, David Moyes will be furious.”
Another BBC journalist in charge of the live report also suggested Aguerd’s touch was ‘lazy’ during the same move, giving away a goal so soon after half time which arguably knocked the stuffing out of the east Londoners.