We were so poor, admits irate Moyes
WEST HAM boss David Moyes says the standard of Premier League officiating has again left him ‘shrugging his shoulders’ after his team were denied a win at Sheffield United by a 103rd-minute penalty. Referee Michael Salisbury awarded the spot-kick when Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola collided with Oli McBurnie and the Blades striker duly converted from the spot. Seconds later West Ham were denied what looked another penalty when Jarrod Bowen was manhandled by Anel Ahmedhodzic, and Moyes said: ‘I am certainly not going to talk about any referees, I don’t want to get myself into trouble. You should ask the referee and see what they think. ‘We have got to the stage where we are settling for a level of officiating where we all shrug our shoulders and say, “OK”. We are shrugging our shoulders again and seeing what they do. We don’t know what they are going to do.’ Areola was taken off before the penalty was taken after being left with a bloodied lip. Did Moyes think it was a foul on his keeper? ‘Absolutely, he was fouled,’ he said. ‘It was a foul on the goalkeeper.’ But Moyes added: ‘My team’s performance was so poor. Maybe the worst (of my tenure). ‘It was a throwback game, long throws, free-kicks, balls in, and we had to deal with it. But we never passed it well. We gave up two points that would have been a big two points for us.’ Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder could not watch McBurnie tuck home his penalty, to move the Blades seven points from safety. Both sides also had a man sent off in stoppage time, and Wilder said: ‘I’m delighted my team stayed in the game because with 10 men, and them passing it around, it could have gone from two to three. The attitude of the team has helped us stay in the game. ‘The goalkeeper comes and makes a rash decision to come through and we get the penalty. I am delighted we got something from the game, that is my overriding emotion. ‘I didn’t watch the penalty, I just saw the reaction of the crowd. It is just one of those — I do sometimes watch, but not in the 103rd minute!’