Tony Cottee rages at referee, raves about West Ham defender Craig Dawson
Tony Cottee has been stunned by the performance of West Ham defender Craig Dawson against Lyon.
The Hammers played a 1-1 draw against the French outfit on Thursday at the London Stadium and Cottee has suggested that it wasn’t a bad result.
The former West Ham hero has criticised referee Felix Zwayer who brandished a red card for Aaron Cresswell.
Cottee wrote on Twitter: “Not a bad result considering going down to 10 men early on.
“The boys dug deep and showed we have more than enough to go on and beat them in the second leg.
“What a performance from Dawson tonight.
“Embarrassing performance from the referee he should be nowhere near the next game.”
Rock at the back
Dawson was outstanding at the back last night.
The 31-year-old has been superb throughout the campaign, managing 41 appearances in all competitions this season.
He made three tackles, blocked two efforts and made as many as six clearances during the game, as per Who Scored.
The centre-back also attempted 13 long balls, and played out one key pass to complete a solid performance last night.
Talking about the referee, it was a ridiculous decision. Cresswell was adjudged to have pulled back Moussa Dembele for denying him a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The French attacker was heading closer to the corner flag than the goal and there was very little contact. It was a horrible decision and it titled the game slightly in the visitor’s favour.
The Hammers have every right to feel aggrieved at Zwayer’s decision, and Cottee has vented his frustration on social media.
In other West Ham news, Jason Cundy was similarly outraged at the incident as he exploded live on talkSPORT.
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