Gary Neville ‘shocked and stunned’ at incident in Chelsea vs West Ham
West Ham will feel aggrieved after their 3-2 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.
The Hammers travelled down to Stamford Bridge to take on an in-form Chelsea side, as Nuno Espirito Santo watched his side blow a 2-0 lead.
Jarrod Bowen put the Irons one goal to the good early on before Crysencio Summerville curled in a second to give West Ham a two-goal advantage before the break.
However, things took a turn for the worse in the second 45 for West Ham, as goals from Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella levelled things up, before Enzo Fernandez’s late winner sealed the Blues’ comeback.
But Nuno and Gary Neville, especially, may feel like the Hammers were let down by referee Anthony Taylor.
Gary Neville aghast at Anthony Taylor’s decision for Wesley Fofana foul
West Ham are in a fight for survival, and three points would have edged them closer to relegation rivals Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
Nuno has fought back from sack claims, and the result isn’t entirely a reflection on his tactical nous.
Chelsea had to come out fighting in the second half due to their two-goal deficit, but Neville highlighted Taylor’s key decision, which may have given Liam Rosenior’s side momentum for their comeback.
West Ham’s first-half stats versus Chelsea:
- Possession: 31%
- Shots: six
- Shots on target: four
- Expected goals: 0.51
While commentating live on Sky Sports, Neville picked out the moment where Wesley Fofana fouled Taty Castellanos, as the West Ham striker seemed through on goal.
Fofana pulled the Argentine’s shirt back, but Taylor opted against booking the Chelsea defender, despite giving the Hammers a free kick.
Neville said: “I’m shocked, absolutely shocked and stunned that it’s not a yellow card to be honest.
“He’s given the free kick, but he’s got to give a yellow card.”
But Nuno won’t look for excuses in the game, with the Hammers boss now given clear evidence of where he needs to upgrade in the remaining time left of the transfer window.
West Ham in desperate need for a new centre-back
West Ham’s forwards did what they could in the first half, and it was up to Nuno’s defence to see out the win in the second 45.
But it wasn’t meant to be, as the former Nottingham Forest boss watched his backline collapse once again.
| Tackles | 8 |
| Blocks | 1 |
| Clearances | 23 |
| Goals conceded | 3 |
Max Kilman has been subject to criticism from a West Ham perspective, but the downfall had already started when the centre-half was introduced off the bench in the 67th minute.
He, along with Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo, who was shown a late red card for violent conduct, let the Irons down when they needed defensive solidarity the most.
West Ham have been linked with Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and David Sullivan may chuck what he’s got left in plugging the final gap for Nuno’s side.
Stay up to date this winter with our West Ham transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at the London Stadium, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.