The ex-West Ham United man was impressed by what the Frenchman did.
Stewart Downing has admitted to The Teeside Gazette that he liked Dimitri Payet’s goal in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United, but believes his Middlesbrough team-mates could and probably should have done more to stop it.
The French magician scored one of the goals of the weekend at the Olympic Stadium as he danced around a number of Boro defenders before finishing well into the bottom corner.
The goal led to West Ham coming from a goal down to earn a point – their ffourth point of the Premier League season – but Downing, who used to play for the Irons, says that his colleagues should not have conceded the goal.
He told The Teeside Gazette: “Payet’s goal was a really good goal, although from our view, I think we have to stop that before he even gets to the box.
“It’s great from him, but when we look at that as a team, we can stop that goal.”
Six minutes previous, Christian Stuani had given Boro the lead as Aitor Karanka’s troops chased a second Premier League win of the season, only for Payet’s moment of magic to deny them.
The North-East side are still above Slaven Bilic’s troops in the table, however. West Ham sit 18th in the standings, two points behind 16th-placed Boro.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
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