After being sent off in West Ham’s 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, Kalvin Phillips’ terrible start to his career at the club continued.
After joining West Ham on loan from Manchester City last month, Phillips gave up goals in his first two games against Bournemouth and Manchester United. His fourth appearance was cut short due to two consecutive bookings.
He was first sent off for shoving Nicolas Dominguez to the ground and then for tripping Morgan Gibbs-White; veteran Premier League referee Mike Dean referred to both as “stupid” moves.
The outcome puts more pressure on David Moyes, as some elements of the away fan base are pushing for his full-time resignation and West Ham to remain winless in 2024.
However, Moyes launched a robust defence of his track record, citing the Europa Conference League triumph from the previous campaign as evidence. He claimed that although other managers may have their teams play more exciting football, he “wins more”.
Moyes was not successful at the City Ground, though, as Forest’s first Premier League victory of the year moved them five points clear of the relegation zone thanks to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi at the end of each half.
David Moyes defended his recent record with West Ham, saying: “Maybe they want something different but they would honestly have to say it has been the best times they have had at the club with regards winning a European trophy, the league positions.
“Maybe there would be managers who excite them more – possibly – but the one who is sitting here wins more.
“This year already, we have beaten Tottenham, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal. We must not forget there were good times not so long ago.
“We have not been playing well but there are some mitigating circumstances since January 1. Boys going to the Africa Cup of Nations, Jarrod Bowen came back from England with an injury and has not been the same since, we have been without Lucas Paqueta as well for most of the time, so there are things that have affected us.”
On Kalvin Phillips’ red card: “I was more disappointed with the first booking. The second one, those sorts can happen. I’ve not seen but somebody said there was very little in the two feet coming together.
“He gets booked for the push but the player shouldn’t be standing on the ball. That’s not allowed.
“We’re getting him back. For long periods, he played well today. He’s had a bad start but his performance today was good.”
Nuno Espirito Santo was confused by the officials’ decision not to give Williams a penalty. Asked whether he felt they had made a mistake, he said: “Yes. I saw the image. So clear.
“Everybody is not understanding what’s going on with VAR. If they see it, why didn’t they give it to help the referee?
“For sure, he will change his mind if he sees the image. It’s so obvious. They should ask themselves ‘why?'”
On Nottingham Forest’s performance: “We played a really good game. Defensively we were really aggressive.
“We created chances. We controlled the game really well. The team were organised.
“Having one man more made the difference. Congratulations to the players and the fans – an amazing noise.”
Forest travel to Villa next on Saturday while West Ham host Brentford on Monday.
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