Jeff Stelling has slammed West Ham boss David Moyes after he claimed that missing Jarrod Bowen and two of his defenders was the reason behind the 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace.
The legendary broadcaster listed the players West Ham were able to name in their starting XI and on the bench as he pointed out that injuries were not the reason they lost the game.
He went on the describe the performance as a “shocker” as Moyes’ team were 4-0 down after just 31 minutes on their visit to Selhurst Park.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [22 April, 06:35am], Stelling said: “Things went from bad to worse as they followed up their Europa League exit with a 5-2 hammering at Crystal Palace.
“I’m not having this stuff David Moyes says about missing Bowen and a couple of defenders. They had Paqueta, Kudus, Antonio, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Soucek and Coufal.
“On the bench they had Phillips, Ings, Cornet and Cresswell – I don’t think that’s a great excuse. It was just a shocker of a performance.”
West Ham ‘hammered’ as David Moyes excuses emerge
Stelling is right. While the blow of missing the likes of Bowen, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd was far from ideal, it is also far from the reason the Hammers lost in a heavy defeat at Selhurst Park.
The defending was terrible, Palace were one step ahead all over the pitch and there was very little attacking threat as Moyes oversaw a humbling defeat off the back of being knocked out of the Europa League against Leverkusen.
If anything, it could be argued that the final scoreline flattered the Hammers given the nature of the goals, with a set-piece allowing Michail Antonio to score the first and a shocker from Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson handing them a second.
Moyes has been under pressure from the fans this season as a result of the Hammers’ performances, and such a heavy defeat will surely add to the pressure as conversations surrounding his job continue at the London Stadium.
