Max Kilman is finished, £22m star electric – West Ham’s winners and losers vs Leeds United
West Ham United’s winless Premier League run was extended to five games with an embarrassing defeat to Leeds United.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men travelled to Elland Road on the back of a defeat to Brentford on Monday Night Football.
Jamie O’Hara slammed West Ham’s players during that match and insisted they’re sleepwalking to the Championship, something no one can argue against.
The Hammers’ woes continued against Leeds after they conceded twice in the first 15 minutes through Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon.
Lucas Paqueta was criticised by Alan Smith for his role in Rodon’s goal, and the Brazilian was one of several who couldn’t turn the tide during another damaging defeat, despite a second-half consolation from Mateus Fernandes.
Football Insider analyses the winners and losers from West Ham’s loss to Leeds.
Winners
Jarrod Bowen
Unsurprisingly, following another shocking defeat in a relegation six-pointer, Jarrod Bowen is one of the only players who can hold his head high.
As always, the Englishman was at the centre of any attacking threat they offered, nearly scoring an acrobatic effort in the first half and looking dangerous every time he picked up the ball.
The West Ham captain registered two shots on goal and grabbed an assist for Fernandes’ equaliser. He can feel hard done by that no one else was on the same wavelength as him.
Should Nuno’s men suffer relegation, the man who signed for just £22million from Hull City in 2020 will surely be the first one to leave the club alongside Paqueta.
Losers
Max Kilman
Whilst Bowen was the clear ‘winner’ from their loss to Leeds, there are plenty who fall into the above category, and one of those is Max Kilman.
The centre-back was poor on Friday night, struggling to live with the imposing presence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin while losing possession seven times.
Nuno worked with Kilman during their time at Wolves together, but even though his arrival promised to deliver improved performances, the 28-year-old hasn’t lived up to expectations.
To top it off, the Englishman won zero of his two attempted ground duels and won zero tackles on a night where fight and desire were required.
Andy Irving
West Ham needed legs in midfield against the Whites, and unfortunately, Nuno didn’t get the memo.
The Portuguese boss started with a double pivot of Andy Irving and Tomas Soucek, a duo that simply doesn’t work.
That was evident during the game, as Irving struggled to impose himself physically by winning just one of his four attempted ground duels.
Irving also offered nothing going forward, with the 25-year-old making zero key passes whilst firing zero shots on goal.
With the energetic Soungoutou Magassa and Fernandes on the bench, Nuno is already being scrutinised for his decision-making.