West Ham United’s manager, David Moyes has expressed frustration over a contentious referee decision involving Mohammed Kudus during the team’s recent clash with Newcastle United, which ended in a 4-3 defeat for the Hammers at St. James’ Park.
Despite West Ham taking a commanding lead of 3-1, with Kudus contributing a goal and an assist, the momentum shifted as Newcastle staged a remarkable comeback to secure the victory.
Moyes believed that a push on Kudus deemed a potential red card offense, was overlooked by the officials, a decision that could have significantly altered the outcome of the game.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Moyes stated, “I’ve not had the chance to look back at it yet, but the feeling was he (Dan Burn) pushed Mo (Kudus) in the back when he was going through on goal. That would have been a red card and could have changed the game.”
Match of the Day didn’t do any analysis of the Newcastle second penalty. The moment that changes the game. A huge controversy. Or the first penalty. Or the Kudus goal. Or the Burn foul. There was SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT.
— Tom Rennie (@thomasjrennie) March 30, 2024
Expressing disappointment over the defeat, Moyes emphasised the need for his team to display greater resilience and defensive solidity in crucial moments.
Errr…
I think every West Ham fan will think that they should have had a free kick and Burn should be sent off for that barge on Kudus when he’s through on goal.
Labelled as good defending by the commentary team… I thought it was clumsy and he wasn’t attempting to win the ball
— Dougie Critchley (@DougieCritchley) March 30, 2024
Despite West Ham’s aspirations to secure a spot in Europe, the loss leaves them in seventh place on the Premier League table after 30 games.
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Moyes reflected on the match, saying, “I’m gutted, absolutely. We are trying to challenge for Europe, we wanted to beat one of the teams close to us, and for long periods we looked like we were [going to beat Newcastle].”
Highlighting the defensive lapses that contributed to the defeat, Moyes also acknowledged the unfavorable decisions that went against his team during the game.
Despite the disappointment, the match marked a significant milestone for Mohammed Kudus, whose goal set a new record as the highest-scoring Ghanaian player for West Ham. Kudus’ 13th goal in 35 games surpassed Andre Ayew’s tally of 12 goals in 50 matches, cementing his place in the club’s history books despite the unfortunate outcome of the match.