Moyes: We may pay for United fixture pile-up
DAVID MOYES has questioned the Premier League’s decision to force Manchester United to play twice in three days against two of West Ham’s top-four rivals. Yesterday’s defeat by Everton leaves the Hammers facing a mountain to climb in their bid to overtake Leicester in fourth. Moyes’s former club Manchester United hold the key to West Ham’s hopes as they face Leicester tomorrow then host fifth-placed Liverpool on Thursday, after it was postponed last weekend due to the supporter protests at Old Trafford.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned he will play a weakened side in one of this week’s games, given the rapid turnaround. And Moyes said: ‘It was really interesting when we were coming back (from the coronavirus lockdown), a lot was made about integrity. ‘Ole can do what he likes with his team, but I don’t know if there was a better way to sort the fixtures out. Manchester United can always put out a strong team.’ When asked whether the rescheduling of United’s match against Liverpool raised integrity issues, Moyes replied: ‘The Premier League should be answering these questions.’ On West Ham’s Champions League hopes, Moyes added: ‘Our chances of the Champions League are looking slim, but we’ll keep fighting.
‘I’d set my target and I knew where we had to go, and defeat might be costly for us. But you never know in football, we might be saying something different in time.’ Meanwhile, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti feels yesterday’s win keeps his team in the hunt for European qualification, saying: ‘It was vital, because, if not, we were out of the race for Europe. It’s another vital game against Aston Villa on Thursday.’