West Ham United were edged out 1-0 by Arsenal in the quarter-final of the Carabao League Cup on Tuesday night.
West Ham were underdogs going into the game at the Emirates as both sides made numerous changes.
It was Arsenal who progressed to the semi-finals, though, with Danny Wellbeck’s close range tap in the difference between the two sides.
It brought West Ham’s revival under David Moyes to an end ahead of a crucial game against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Here’s five things we learned about the Hammers from the match.
1) Defensive dour Dave got it wrong
West Ham fans have been delighted with the club’s new found defensive discipline and organisation under Moyes. Given the club’s perilous situation it is what was needed in the Premier League to try and turn things around. At the Emirates against a much-changed Arsenal, though, Moyes’ tactics were far too defensive for a one-off cup game. It is not every season the Hammers have the chance of making the semi-finals of a cup competition and did not even register a single shot, let alone on target. The Hammers should have gone for it, particularly in the second half but the match was more akin to a pre-season game. The 7,000 fans making the trip to North London deserved more for their support.
2) Quina tidy but unspectacular
A lot of the talk among Hammers fans before the game was the fact young Portuguese star Domingos Quina was making his first senior start for the club. Quina has been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal, and looked very composed and tidy in possession. He offered little as an attacking threat, though, and given he is a quick and skilled winger West Ham fans were hoping for more excitement from the diminutive starlet. A solid if unspectacular start to his Hammers career.
3) Hernandez is not a lone striker
Once again Javier Hernandez was deployed as a lone striker for West Ham. It is something Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer has had to endure ever since signing for the East Londoners in the summer. And it is patently obvious to all that he simply is not cut out to play as a lone striker. Why West Ham signed him if that was going to be their intention is anyone’s guess and points to a lack of coherence in their transfer planning. Chicharito barely featured and spent most of the night falling on the floor when trying to hold the ball up on his own before being subbed three quarters of the way through the game.
4) Adrian set to stay as number one ahead of wobbly Hart
Much has been made of Joe Hart’s demotion to number two behind Adrian at West Ham. In truth it shouldn’t be because Adrian is quite simply a much better all round goalkeeper. Hart was rash and wobbly once again for the Hammers as they conceded their first goal in nearly 400 minutes at the Emirates. The defending which led to the goal left a lot to be desired but Hart should have done much better to claim the ball as it dropped right in front of him in the six-yard box. But he remained rooted to his line and Danny Wellbeck was able to scramble home from close range. Hart was lucky not to give away a penalty and be sent off with a rush of blood while his distribution also left a lot to be desired. Adrian will come back in for Saturday’s game against Newcastle.
5) Moyes must address lopsided squad in January
West Ham have plenty of attacking options in their squad but none are particularly effective. In fact they have too many and not enough options in defence and midfield to change that area of the team as was needed at the Emirates. The lopsided nature of the squad has already been mentioned by Moyes and it must be addressed in January with new signings and perhaps one or two being shipped out of the club.
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