David Moyes hinted Jarrod Bowen “maybe” should have “left his leg there and trailing” when Aaron Ramsdale brought down the West Ham forward during Sunday’s loss to Arsenal.
Minutes before Gabriel headed in what proved to be a winner, the Arsenal goalkeeper rushed out to sweep up a long-ball played in-behind his defence, to which Bowen got to first.
The West Ham star hit the ground after a collision but was booked for diving, although Ramsdale would give him credit during his post-match interview for not protesting further.
“He is a good lad,” said the Arsenal stopper.
“I didn’t actually touch him at all. He was honest. He jumped straight back up and said, ‘No, no, no. It wasn’t a foul’. Fair play to him.”
Moyes, however, suggested there may well have been a chance for Bowen to cause Ramsdale a problem without diving necessarily.
“I don’t ever want my players to dive because I just don’t really believe in it,” he said.
“I think Jarrod could have easily left his leg there and trailing it into the goalkeeper, maybe he should have.
"It was a reckless challenge by the goalkeeper. The only thing that went for him was it was classed as no contact."
Moyes would also lament some of the decisions that went against his side.
“We did a good job against a good team but ultimately we got done on set pieces. We are normally very good on them.
“Do you think Holding on the second one heads it with his arm first of all? It looks as if it hits his arm, I don’t think he heads it. That would have been in the same phase of play wouldn’t it? It hits his arm.
“They [VAR] can get it wrong sometimes as well, they have got it wrong a lot of times. I might be wrong.”
