Taking on the top clubs in the Premier League often brings out the best in players and in a team: West Ham’s trip to north London and the escape with three points that effectively did for Arsenal’s Premier League challenge was a typical example of the team raising their game.
Whilst the result was different yesterday, several players in claret and blue repeated the feat – none more so than Lucas Paquetá. Back was the trickery, the flicks, the touches, the looped passes and the theatricals in all their best and their worst: “Swashbuckling” is how Paqueta’s performance was described by Hammers’ correspondent Roshane Thomas in the nytimes.com/theathletic.
Voicing the words that West Ham fans and management have been avoiding confronting, Thomas suggests:
“Paqueta’s swashbuckling performance shows West Ham what they will miss if he is banned” : It was as if the Brazilian was determined, just in case, to leave us in no doubt as to his brilliance and flawed genius just in case the worst should happen with his FA hearing.
The dive which presaged Liverpool’s goal was as irksome as his deft touches were entertaining: If ever ninety minutes summed up a player’s career, this was it. All that was missing was a coup de grace, a Prague-style through ball for Bowen to grab the equaliser. But he tried.
Were it not for Allison’s efficient save, we’d be revelling in another Bowen – Paqueta combo to match the Conference League final in skill if not in drama. As Thomas writes:
“But despite Paqueta’s qualities, the theatrical side of his game remains his undoing. He believes he was fouled by Robertson in the build-up to Virgil van Dijk’s winner in the 2-1 loss. But his exaggerated fall to the ground meant that a free kick wasn’t awarded.
And there, in a nutshell, is the best, and the worst of Lucas Paquetá. Hopefully the Brazilian will be free to ply his trade for the world to enjoy and endure for years to come. But, just in case, it was great to get a reminder of the man in all his pomp and pageantry yesterday.
Lucas Paquetá denies all of the FA allegations made against him.
again, you persist with the “dive” nonsense. he may have exaggerated his fall – something that EVERY other player makes on these ocasions – but every pundit who saw the incident, and bothered to mention it, like JWP’s ridiculous yellow card against Bournemouth, said they thought it was a foul. regardless of Paqueta’s actions. more than one of my Liverpool-mad friends have said it was a foul, one even said we were “stiffed” by the ref. cut this nonsense out just for the sake of an advertising revenue-raising exercise! playing us for fools. i used to speak up for you guys when people complained about this site. now i’m beginning to lean the other way. you say you read every comment. just a tip…start paying attention to them!
What about the push by Van Dyke just before scoring the winner. Ah ref had a bet on Liverpool to win I expect.