After his petulant hit-out at Micky van de Ven and red card on Saturday, Mohammed Kudus grabbed the headlines following West Ham’s 4-1 defeat at Tottenham.
In truth, though, the Hammers were already well beaten and that moment of madness cannot be blamed for why it all turned ugly once more for Julen Lopetegui’s side.
Kudus had been the best player on the pitch in the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his mesmerising close control helping him out of tight spaces, his driving runs hauling West Ham forward, and his smart finish giving West Ham the lead.
Bowen, Kudus and striker Michail Antonio have not scored at the same rate they did last season, and, naturally, the Hammers have not ground out as many wins. Eight games into Lopetegui’s first season and they have won just twice.
Their dwindling goal contributions feel like a symptom of a dysfunctional side rather than the cause of the tricky start.
Once again, they were let down by unforced errors and lapses in concentration from players further back.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka lost his man for Yves Bissouma’s goal shortly after the interval, a defensive mix-up between Jean-Clair Todibo and Alphone Areola led to an own goal three minutes later, and then Heung-min Son tied Todibo in knots before slotting in the fourth.
Tomas Soucek put in another battling display, but Guido Rodriguez continues to struggle to acclimatise to the intensity of the Premier League.
An out-of-sorts Lucas Paqueta picked up a needless yellow card in the first half and had precious little attacking or defensive influence against Spurs.
Wan-Bissaka, Todibo and Max Kilman mean three quarters of Lopetegui’s new-look back four are summer recruits, but having now conceded 15 goals in eight games there are no signs of establishing cohesion or of Lopetegui building a solid defensive base.
If Lopetegui is not under immediate pressure, then he is undoubtedly feeling the heat, admitting on Saturday that he was “concerned” by his side’s second-half capitulation when they conceded three goals inside eight minutes to forfeit any hope of a result.
“Maybe I have to improve my translation with my players”, he said.
Lopetegui presumably meant communication, but it was a stark admission this far into the season. These are worrying times for West Ham.
