Andy Gray in disbelief at what Konstantinos Mavropanos did in West Ham United loss v Chelsea
Andy Gray couldn’t believe Konstantinos Mavropanos failed to stop Nicholas Jackson from scoring for Chelsea against West Ham United.
Jackson compounded further misery on Julen Lopetegui with his brace inside the opening 18 minutes at the London Stadium, as the Blues went on to ease to a 3-0 win.
The Chelsea forward raced through on goal unopposed to open the scoring inside the first three minutes of the match with Gray pointing the finger at Mavropanos live on beIN SPORTS 1 [21 September: 1:24pm].
He said: “I can’t believe Mavropanos doesn’t come across.”
Former Hammers boss David Moyes agreed: “You’d have thought he’d have recognised the speed of Jackson, but he didn’t do so.”
West Ham defence ripped apart by Chelsea
West Ham have been underwhelming and lacklustre at the start of the season under Lopetegui, and the 3-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea now marks three losses in the opening five Premier League fixtures.
The Spaniard has been afforded the benefit of the doubt with the two defeats leading into the London Derby coming against Champions League opposition in Aston Villa and Manchester City.
However, the tie against Chelsea, also undergoing a rebuild, provided the perfect opportunity for Lopetegui to record his first win at the London Stadium and lay down a statement of intent against a direct rival to their European ambitions.
Mavropanos is the only one of the three senior centre-back options for the Hammers who featured under Moyes last term, with Max Kilman lining up alongside him and Jean-Clair Todibo arriving in the summer.
The Greek international must set an example to his teammates and his lack of awareness of the threat of Jackson has cost his side dearly and ultimately put the Irons on the backfoot right out the gate.
While he is not the only culprit during the humiliating defeat on home soil, West Ham supporters will certainly look back at the moment between Mavropanos and Jackson as the deciding moment on the day.
In other West Ham news, the Irons will soldier on with the new Ticketmaster deal despite Oasis controversy.
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