El Hadji Malick Diouf slammed after ‘shambolic’ moment in West Ham vs Newcastle
Nuno Espirito Santo finally oversaw a win in charge of West Ham on Sunday, as his side emerged victorious against Newcastle United.
West Ham beat Newcastle 3-1, with Lucas Paqueta scoring before Aaron Wan-Bissaka forced an own-goal from Sven Botman.
Tomas Soucek‘s goal sealed the victory in the closing moments, after Jarrod Bowen‘s effort had been saved.
El Hadji Malick Diouf was dropped against Brentford, but was brought back into the team against Leeds United and Newcastle.
El Hadji Malick Diouf slammed for ‘Under-12s defending’
West Ham were centimetres from opening the scoring against Newcastle in the opening five minutes, with Bowen striking the post from just inside the box.
Seconds later, however, what could have been a perfect start, turned into a nightmare.
The Magpies went up the other end and quickly got the ball to Murphy, who turned Diouf inside out before striking towards and into the bottom corner.
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | Vs Newcastle United (H) |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 26/35 |
| Tackles | 6 |
| Duels won | 10/12 |
| Clearances | 2 |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
The full-back was slammed for the ease in which he allowed the shot, with Clinton Morrison telling BBC Radio 5 Live that it was “Under-12s defending.”
“That is when your luck is out, but it is poor defending from El Hadji Malick Diouf,” the former Premier League striker said.
“Credit to Jacob Murphy, once he gets into that position the strike is fantastic. It is under-12s defending.”
Chris Sutton shared a similar sentiment in his analysis of the defending. He told Sky Sports: “You couldn’t make it up. Well, you probably could for West Ham, this season. Pretty much sums them up.
“It’s a brilliant strike, a brilliant finish from Murphy. Magnificent. Pretty shambolic from Diouf, Murphy turns him inside out. As accurate and powerful as it was, he shouldn’t have been allowed to do that.”
Nuno cannot afford to drop Diouf
There is an element of give and take when it comes to Diouf. The Senegal international is not an incredible defender, and has many of his best moments in the opposition’s half.
His crosses have earned him three Premier League assists so far this season, with their power and accuracy causing constant chaos in the opposition penalty area.
With the Hammers struggling so much to create chances this season, Nuno may well see that as a risk worth taking.
And, in the 20-year-old’s defence, his moment against Murphy was the precursor for a strong performance.
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