West Ham were on the wrong end of a London derby on Wednesday night (December 15) as Arsenal came away victorious from the Emirates Stadium.
It took until the second half for Gabriel Martinelli to break the deadlock in what had been an evenly matched contest up until that point.
Controversy reigned supreme soon after when Vladimir Coufal was dismissed for a second yellow card before Alexandre Lacazette missed the ensuing penalty.
Emile Smith Rowe made it 2-0 late on and the Hammers were resigned to a damaging defeat.
Despite the loss and subsequently falling out of the Premier League top four as a result, Irons’ defender Craig Dawson was the recipient of huge praise from fans on social media.
https://twitter.com/stephenlott/status/1471221121685114888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1471221121685114888%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hammers.news%2Fmatch-report%2Fwest-ham-fans-flip-out-after-craig-dawson-performance-vs-arsenal%2F
https://twitter.com/ogbonner/status/1471220991909109763
Meanwhile, supporters were less than enamoured with the 7.10 rated display of Arthur Masuaku (Sofascore).
Antonio and masuaku absolutely useless. Dawson different class
— Joey (@joeymehlman3) December 15, 2021
Masuaku at lb lol. It’s a recipe for disaster every time.
— Jakey boy (@JakeRileyHunte) December 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/Gorms7/status/1471278004181602305
So far this season the 28-year-old DR Congo ace has scored once in 14 appearances for David Moyes’ side.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Albeit far from a mini-crisis, things are certainly not going exactly to plan in recent weeks.
Chelsea result aside, the Irons’ results have been disappointing for a team hoping to earn Champions League qualification for 2022/23.
Injuries and lack of fitness could be taking their toll at the worst possible time and it would seem many West Ham fans are desperate for Aaron Cresswell to return to the fold.
