David Moyes must accept he got West Ham selection call badly wrong v Fulham, now paying the price
West Ham manager David Moyes must be regretting his decision to recall Aaron Cresswell to the starting line-up for the Premier League clash with Fulham.
Cresswell was brought back into the XI at Craven Cottage for Sunday’s (10 December) match in one of two changes from the 2-1 win at Tottenham.
The left-back slotted into his usual position in place of Emerson, but he struggled in the first half of the match with Fulham and Moyes is now paying the price.
Raul Jimenez got in between Cresswell and Nayef Aguerd far too easily for Fulham’s 22nd-minute opener – the Mexican glancing Joao Palhinha’s header past Lukasz Fabianski.
Those two United players were also at fault for Willian’s strike later in the half, as West Ham did not recover from Aguerd’s weak pass.
Cresswell was too slow to react to a loose ball, which Andreas Pereira turned into the middle for his team-mate to convert.
To complete a hat-trick of mishaps, he gave away the corner that Tosin Adarabioyo turned home as West Ham went into half-time three goals down in a shocking display.
The 33-year-old was cautioned early in the match and notably pulled out of a couple of tackles, which is not a promising sign ahead of the second half.
Moyes will surely therefore be considered a like-for-like change in defence, with Emerson coming on for Cresswell, who is walking a tightrope and simply struggling.
The Scotsman would no doubt want to change the whole XI, but one or two were more culpable than others, Cresswell among them.
In other West Ham news, a talkSPORT broadcaster slammed an “atrocious” development related to the Hammers this week.