Did not agree on why we had to play Norwich when we did, asserts David Moyes
West Ham manager David Moyes has hit out at the Premier League for making his side play three games in a week after their postponed fixture against Norwich City was played on Wednesday. The Hammers were beaten 3-2 by Leeds United putting a dent in their Champions League aspirations.
West Ham hosted Leeds United at the London Stadium for their Premier League encounter on Sunday night. Jack Harrison made a sensational start for Leeds as he scored a precise finish in the 10th minute to put the visitors ahead. Jarrod Bowen equalized in the 33rd minute as he met Aaron Cresswell's corner to head home to level the contest. The Hammers were undone by a set-piece four minutes later as Luke Ayling's pass was bundled over the line by Harrison for his second goal of the game.
West Ham rallied in the second half and earned the rewards for their efforts as Pablo Fornals scored in the 52nd minute to equalize. Harrison sealed the victory by completing his hattrick as he latched onto Raphinha's through ball and finished past Lukasz Fabianski in the 60th minute. The defeat denied the Hammers their third straight league win although they remained in fourth place on 37 points. Moyes was unhappy at the league for scheduling three games in the span of a week and attributed the fixture pile-up as the reason for their slip-up.
“We did not agree with why we had to play Norwich when we did. We missed one game and not by our doing and we were made to go again at this point in the season. We had a busy Christmas period like everybody else, like Leeds, but Leeds have two games to play, and were not asked to play midweek,” Moyes told reporters in his post-match press conference.
“I cannot understand it and it only tells me that the people making those decisions do not understand what recovery means, what it means to play games on a regular basis and the people putting the games are getting that wrong for sure,” he added.