WEST HAM manager David Moyes hit out at Xabi Alonso after their Europa League quarter-final defeat.
The Hammers frustrated Bayer Leverkusen for long periods in the first leg but eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat.
To make matters worse for West Ham, Lucas Paqueta and Emerson are suspended for next Thursday after picking up their third yellows in the competition.
The Brazilian midfielder picked up the booking for a rash challenge on Amine Adli.
Leverkusen’s players and bench were furious over the tackle, surrounding the referee and pushing Paqueta.
After the game, Moyes fumed at the reaction from the soon to be Bundesliga champions, saying: “He will be a huge miss but I thought their bench was a disgrace.
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“He [the referee] got surrounded. I thought it was disgraceful and was really disappointing.
“Did they get him booked? I think so.
“You should let the referee make the decision and not the way they reacted to the incident.
“I thought it was a rule all the way through. We would not all run off and surround him.
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“It was a poor thing for them to do and they are a good side and they didn’t need to react like that.”
On Moyes’ comments, Alonso said: “I thought it was a deserved yellow card. I have a lot of respect for David but we don’t look at their bench.”
West Ham now face an uphill battle in the second leg, with star man Jarrod Bowen potentially out injured.
The Irons need to win by two goals to force extra-time against Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in 42 games.
But Moyes insists his side still have belief: “We know we are playing a good team but we are not out of the tie. If we can get that first goal it will make a difference.
“We did a really good job defensively. We were aware of them scoring late goals in other games and they put us under intense pressure and we found it difficult.
“We were playing a Champions League team and a good one at that.
“We will have to come up trumps next week and the first thing we have to do is get one goal and take it from there.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
