David Moyes has explained why two of his key players were absent from West Ham United's 4-0 thrashing by Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Both Michail Antonio and Thilo Kehrer missed the Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium as the Hammers suffered their worst defeat of the campaign.
Boss Moyes said post match that he decided not to risk Antonio, who played 86 minutes of last week's 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Manchester United, due to a hamstring issue while Kehrer, an unused sub at Old Trafford, missed out through illness.
READ MORE: West Ham fans make David Moyes U-turn as Gianluca Scamacca question remains after Brighton loss
"Michail Antonio just felt his hamstring after the game in midweek," said Moyes. "The game in midweek took a lot of us, physically, it was big numbers we ran and we put a lot of effort in to try and get through in the cup and didn’t quite come off."
Kehrer, meanwhile, was replaced in the starting 11 by Ben Johnson who endured a difficult afternoon at right-back. The 23-year-old was making just his 33rd top-flight start for West Ham but was unable to prevent Brighton from putting their opponents to the sword.
"I wouldn’t talk individually," said Moyes when asked about Johnson's performance. "But Thilo Kehrer went down sick during the night on Friday night so I didn’t have anything I could do to alter that at any time in the game, as far as a right-back went.
"It was a tough day for Ben but he’s a young boy, that’s the way it is, you have to learn on the job sometimes and hopefully he learns a lot from the game."
Defeat for West Ham leaves them in 16th place in the Premier League table and just two points off the relegation zone with 13 games left of the season to play.
READ NEXT
- West Ham fans make David Moyes U-turn as Gianluca Scamacca question remains after Brighton loss
- Every word David Moyes said on West Ham’s Brighton defeat, Ben Johnson, fans and Said Benrahma
- David Moyes makes honest West Ham admission after humiliating Brighton Premier League defeat
- West Ham press conference LIVE: David Moyes on Brighton defeat, pressure and Said Benrahma
- West Ham player ratings: David Moyes' side suffer heavy Brighton defeat amid relegation fears
