Former Irish captain Roy Keane has slammed West Ham's players for their display in the 6-0 drubbing against London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
The East London club were 4-0 down at halftime, having conceded three soft goals from set pieces in the first half. Goals from William Saliba, Bukoya Saka (penalty), Gabriel, and Leandro Trossard ensured the game was over before halftime, and to be honest, it could have been 6 or 7 at the break.
Speaking at halftime, Keane tore into the West Ham players for the manner of their display in the first half.
"There are ways to lose a football match—West Ham have not turned up," said Keane at halftime.
"They have not been physical; they are not tackling; there is no desire; there is no hunger; they look old and sluggish; they are not tracking back; no one has laid a glove on Martin Odegaard.
"Moyes must be fuming at halftime, but all credit goes to Arsenal; they look sharp and at it and have turned up.
"West Ham, though, is a disgrace... shocking. I'm really frustrated with them. Arsenal are making the most of it. One or two touches, and no one gets near them. Beautiful finish. Four nil.
"I can't believe what I'm watching. The way they get beaten physically, set pieces... West Ham, the last 10 or 15 minutes have been an absolute disgrace."
Apologies Declan Rice, I didn’t follow your advice: I went absolutely mental when you scored 🤪🤪🤪 pic.twitter.com/sq9LmkFNPm
— French Gøøner (@dacodac) February 12, 2024
West Ham's misery was compounded when Saka scored again in the second half, and their old club captain Declan Rice rifled one in from 25 yards in the thumping.
The result now leaves West Ham and David Moyes in a sensitive position. A number of fans left the game at 4-0, and some have even called for Moyes to leave his post with West Ham.
Keane, speaking at full-time, praised Arsenal for their display but claimed it was too easy for Mikel Arteta's side.
"It was too easy," Keane added. "West Ham looked shell-shocked. At some stage, your pride has to kick in. For Rice's goal, there were two or three players lining up to take the shot. West Ham really let their manager down today.
"For Arsenal, it's all positives off the back of last weekend. They've just had to keep that momentum going. To score six goals away from home is fantastic.
"We can criticize West Ham all we want, but credit goes to Arsenal. They were efficient; they were strong. The way they won the game with their set pieces and aerial threat.
"They could have scored a few more goals."
Next up for Arsenal is a game against Burnley. The game takes place this coming Saturday.
