After going ahead against Liverpool at the London Stadium on Wednesday, West Ham manager David Moyes wasn’t happy at how quickly they conceded an equaliser and his criticism was indirectly centred on one of his £30m stars.
The Hammers were playing some bright football in the early stages of the match, and the move for their opener was an example of how to pass and move between the lines in order to ensure that chances are created – even against the best sides.
Liverpool were completely undone by the speed of West Ham’s attacking for the first goal, however, once the equaliser came, Jurgen Klopp’s side took control of the game and, in the end, were worthy winners.
The 2-1 loss leaves the east Londoners still right in the relegation scrap, though a couple of positive recent results has given them a small amount of breathing space.
The Scot will surely not want to pass up any more chances to earn three points when they’re presented, however.
Liverpool weren't behind for long as Cody Gakpo's long-range strike draws them level ? pic.twitter.com/YGcuyDb891
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 26, 2023
With six games left to play, between three and six more points should ensure that West Ham remain in the English top-flight for at least another season.
“I thought we gave away two sloppy goals, from our point of view. We could have blocked the first one,” Moyes had said to reporters after the game, cited by football.london.
Though he didn’t directly name any defenders, watching a replay of the goal, you can see that when Gakpo receives the ball, £30m signing (per Sky Sports) Nayef Aguerd is the nearest West Ham player in front of him and therefore able to make a challenge.
Unfortunately for Moyes and his side, Aguerd just keeps backing off inviting Gakpo to shoot – which is exactly what happened.