Jarrod Bowen felt West Ham United were not clinical enough in Tuesday’s 3-1 Premier League loss to Leicester City at King Power Stadium.
After falling behind to Jamie Vardy's strike inside two minutes, the visitors were in control for the majority of the contest and saw several presentable goalscoring opportunities come and go.
The Hammers recorded a record 31 Premier League shots to Leicester’s eight but left empty-handed as second-half goals from Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka compiled an evening of frustration.
Now, our captain says the players must step up, believing it is now their responsibility to help lead the team back to winning ways.
“I think you’ve got to be clinical when you’re in this league or you get punished,” said Bowen. “I think the goals we conceded were really soft, and if you don’t keep the ball out of your net at one end, and if you don’t take your chances at the other end, it makes it more difficult.
“We had a lot of chances we didn’t put away, and I think the first goal is avoidable. We knew it was going to be a fast start for them under a new manager [in Ruud van Nistelrooy] and that they would create a lot of energy.
“I think that was the most disappointing thing for us, that we conceded so early. We had lots of chances, but it’s down to us not putting them away, so that’s the most disappointing thing on the night.
“There’s pressure on the players as well [as the Head Coach Julen Lopetegui]. We’re the ones who have to go out there and perform, and we haven’t done that to the level that we know we’re capable of. We need to turn it around as we’re all in it together as a group. It’s down to us to go out there and perform and do better than what we’re doing.