Konstantinos Mavropanos West Ham Bournemouth badges
Konstantinos Mavropanos cost West Ham v Bournemouth [Credit: Imago]
Jonathan Burnett
Tue 17 December 2024 7:40, UK
Konstantinos Mavropanos’ foul on Enes Unal before the Bournemouth forward’s late equaliser on Monday left Ally McCoist bewildered.
Speaking on talkSPORT (17 December, 6:06am), McCoist and Jeff Stelling couldn’t understand why Mavropanos fouled Unal from behind on the edge of the box after it proved costly for the Hammers.
Unal duly stepped up to curl home a sensational free-kick for Bournemouth, securing a 1-1 draw just three minutes after Lucas Paqueta’s 87th-minute penalty had given Julen Lopetegui’s side a late lead.
“What was the centre-half thinking about?”, McCoist said.
Stelling replied: “Oh, goodness knows”
McCoist added: “The ball gets absolutely fired up to the forward, really difficult to take, and he comes through the back of him – just let him get away from goal.”
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Mavropanos coming through the back of Unal to gift the Turkish international a chance to equalise – which he did in some style – will have left Lopetegui just as bewildered as McCoist was in the dugout.
Taking a 1-0 lead so late in the match – particularly against an in-form Bournemouth side – should have necessitated a safety-first approach, taking no chances in and around the Irons’ 18-yard box.
Ally McCoist Jeff Stelling
Ally McCoist and Jeff Stelling discussed Konstantinos Mavropanos’ costly error [Credit: talkSPORT]
Mavropanos starting the Hammers’ last three games has only come thanks to a series of injuries and off-field complications for Jean-Clair Todibo, but the Greek international’s display hardly justified his place.
Max Kilman has stepped up as Lopetegui’s side do their best to finally string a run of consistent results together this term, but he’s not exactly been helped by his centre-back partner being error-strewn.
It remains to be seen if Lopetegui keeps faith with Mavropanos after his reckless foul directly led to the Irons dropping two points, but it wouldn’t be a great shock if the 27-year-old soon returns to the bench.
In other West Ham news, one out-of-favour player’s entourage have been approached over a transfer in the January window.
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