David Moyes insists Jarrod Bowen could have changed the game for West Ham against Arsenal if he’d “left his foot in” when being tackled by Aaron Ramsdale.
The Hammers were beaten 2-1 at the London Stadium in a game which has dealt a severe blow to the Irons’ hopes of finishing in the top six.
A win would have seen Moyes’ men leapfrog Manchester United into sixth but the result was a disappointing one, and the second half was a particularly dismal performance.
One of the headline moments saw Bowen sent clean through down the right channel, and Gunners goalkeeper Ramsdale rushed out to meet him, sliding in and making a challenge. Bowen went down but was booked by referee Mike Dean for diving.
And Moyes has now taken the rather odd decision to criticise Bowen for managing to avoid the tackle, which looked reckless on the replays.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the boss said: “Jarrod scored again and that’s good for him, but he probably could have changed us the game if he’d left his foot in against the goalkeeper in the challenge with their goalkeeper that he made.
“But he’s a great boy and I’m sure he wasn’t going in any way [to simulate].
“But you see so many players now, the goalkeepers come rushing out and the centre forward leaves his foot in and lets the goalie take him out and I think Jarrod could easily have done that today.”
He could also have gotten himself a broken leg. How that wasn’t ruled a reckless and dangerous tackle is anyones guess.If Bowen doesn’t take avoiding action and Ramsdale had connected with his studs up and his foot well off the floor, it’s a red. Instead Bowen gets a yellow and Ramsdale gets nothing. Crazy. Also, very strange that nobody mentioned the hand ball in the build up to the second goal. The pundits studiously avoided it and it didn’t get a mention on MOTD.
Happy retirement Mike Dean! You deserve it as much as the rest of the football world does.
agree with you that it’s a strange criticism – in fact, it’s irresponsible – to suggest Bowen should have ‘taken one’ so we could get a free kick for a dangerous tackle. what chance would Bowen have to take the free kick after his foot had been separated from his ankle? really daft. the correct decision should have been made but we don’t want more of that crap going on in the game
Same result if Dean had referred responsibly and awarded the free kick in spite of Bowens evasive action – which was split second and looked instinctive. Blame poor officials not the player for not ‘buying one’.