BOO BOYS TURN ON ARNIE
WEST HAM 4 Noble 15 pen, Ogbonna 75, Hernandez 84, 90+5 HUDDERSFIELD 3 Bacuna 17, Grant 30, 65
IN THE madness of this quite bonkers comeback, it would have been easy to forget the boos from the West Ham supporters when Marko Arnautovic was taken off after 68 minutes.
They were not directed at Lucas Perez, who replaced Arnautovic, or in disgust at West Ham being 3-1 down to bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield.
No, Arnautovic was the intended recipient after a performance that contrasted with that of half-time sub Javier Hernandez, who helped West Ham level at 3-3 and then won the game in stoppage time.
At the heart of the issue is how Arnautovic pushed so strongly to leave for China in January.
This was the first time the 29-year-old had started a game since he was linked with a move to Shanghai SIPG at the end of the transfer window.
It wasn’t just on Saturday that he was booed; it also happened at Cardiff and, although Manuel Pellegrini’s message was veiled, there can be no doubt that Arnautovic has to rebuild his relationship with the fans.
‘The fans are always very loyal,’ said Pellegrini. ‘The fans, if a player plays well, they will accept not only Marko Arnautovic but every player.
‘The fans want to see their team winning. After that, they want to see the player giving all that they have, after that they want to see quality and if, in this moment, it’s not your day, it happens to all players at every club.’
But is he happy with Arnautovic? ‘I am happy with the response of the team,’ he added.
‘I don’t think a player is a team. The team is a team. I am not happy with the performance of the 10 players who played the first half.
‘We did not have enough pace, we conceded two goals from set-pieces, so it’s not only the failure of the performance of Marko Arnautovic.
‘It’s the complete team and all of them are responsible.’
The defeat was excruciating for Huddersfield manager Jan Siewert. His side are 16 points from safety with just seven games to play.
Relegation could be confirmed on March 30 should they lose at Crystal Palace and Burnley and Southampton win their games.
But for Siewert, who held back the tears in an emotional press conference, the battle is already over. It is understood that he ripped into his players in the away dressing room and told them that the result would be remembered as the one that sent them down.
His plan to exploit West Ham’s defensive vulnerabilities had worked so well before Huddersfield collapsed.
Karlan Grant, who joined from Charlton at the start of the year, gives Siewert reason to be hopeful Huddersfield can challenge for a return to the Premier League next season.
Grant’s two goals established a 3-1 lead before Huddersfield’s demise. The 21-year-old echoed the thoughts of his manager, saying: ‘We have to play for pride.’