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West Ham United were not happy with how the officials handled Arsenal’s tactics from corners on Saturday
Gabriel, who was an injury doubt before the game, scored the first of five visiting goals after 10 minutes. A corner was swung in but Lucas Paquetá was challenged from behind by Jurrein Timber before the ball was nodded in. The Hammers had spent the week preparing for Arsenal’s corners and Lopetegui revealed he had spoken to the referee before the game to raise the issue of possible fouls during set-piece routines from the away side.
“I think that we deserved two goals in the first half but they didn’t deserve five,” he reflected. “There is one player that bumped into the back of Paquetá [prior to the opening goal] with the only intention that he can’t jump. The rules have to be the same for all of us. The first was a set piece that we prepared and, in my opinion, has been a very, very clear foul. We were unlucky with the decisions today. We asked before the match, the referee with the block, as a coach we have to know the limit.”
Arsenal rushed into a 4-0 lead at the London Stadium but two goals in three minutes hauled the hosts back into the game. However, Bukayo Saka netted a fifth Gunners’ goal from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after Lukasz Fabianski mistimed his punch and caught Gabriel in the face instead of hitting the ball. Lopetegui added: “I think that killed the match. You compare the contact in the first goal in the block with Paquetá … but it is not one excuse because we have and we can do better for sure.”
“It was hugely disappointing,” Bowen said. “I think with the way we started the game, the goals that we conceded, and the position we found ourselves in at 4-0 down after 36 minutes, it was never a good thing. At 4-2 we thought it could have been a different game, and we felt the energy. It was a lot better from us, but we concede another penalty, and from that point it’s difficult.
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“There’s almost nothing to lose at that point, and we just needed that third goal to give us a bit more of a boost in confidence. It wasn’t a good day for us, and we’re disappointed for the game to finish in the way it did, but for us to be 4-0 down at home in the first half is unacceptable. The goals were very easy to avoid, and as a team we made too many mistakes, and against a top team like Arsenal, you’re going to get punished.
“I think the second penalty was a bit of a frustrating decision, and it’s one that has gone against us in terms of consistency, but ultimately, we need to deal with those decisions, and there will be times when we get those decisions in our favour throughout the season.”
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