Gary Neville shared that he thought West Ham probably deserved a point from their clash with Brighton on Friday.
The Hammers lost 1-0 to The Seagulls and the Sky Sports pundit shared that he thought Manuel Pellegrini’s paid for their mistakes in the first half before improving in the second.
Neville named Michail Antonio, Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko as three players who struggled in the game due to it not happening for them and because their side didn’t show enough urgency in the first 45 minutes.
“They ignored the warning signs in the first-half, West Ham did respond in the second half and deserved probably a point out of the game but in the first half, there was definitely that feeling that we’re gonna throw both full-back’s forward,” said Neville following the Hammers’ 1-0 defeat to Brighton on Sky Sports Main Event (Friday October 10, 22:04).
“I wouldn’t say a lack of respect towards Brighton but they wouldn’t have done that against Manchester United or Chelsea, they got caught in the first half by a little bit of complacency, thinking they could come here and play, have both full-backs on, split the centre-backs and actually Brighton have caught them and paid for it.
“I think it is a little sort of attention to detail that you would show in the big games.
“They were a lot better (in the second half) but what that lacked was quality in the final pass or the moment, the chance that Arnautovic has at the end, you think he’s going to score.
“But Antonio, Anderson, Yarmolenko it didn’t happen for them tonight, first half was lack of urgency and I didn’t think there was the application you need in the Premier League against a team like Brighton, who leave everything on the pitch.
“Second half it needed more quality but obviously Brighton defended well.”
OPINION
Neville clearly believes the Hammers let themselves down in the first 45 minutes due to perhaps underestimating what it takes to defeat Chris Hughton’s side. This may be understandable as after beating Manchester United, it seems some of the players clearly thought they’d just turn up and achieve victory against the Seagulls. However Hughton’s side made the most of any possession they got and carved a narrow win for themselves which actually moves them above the Hammers in the table ahead of the international break. Neville is a little harsh to name Anderson as one of the three players who struggled as the Brazilian winger at least looked like he was constantly trying. This was unlike Yarmolenko who seemed to not be fully fit, which is concerning, as he showed a lack of effort when it came to doing some necessary tracking back for his side. As for Neville’s reference to Antonio, the attacker hasn’t been looking in tip-top form all season so it’s no surprise he was highlighted when the pundit gave his verdict.
