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Pundit launches scathing verdict on West Ham defender after heavy Etihad loss to Man City
West Ham’s miserable Premier League campaign sank to a new low after they were comfortably beaten 3–0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, a result that deepened the pressure on Nuno Espírito Santo and sparked fierce criticism of one of his players.
The defeat leaves the Hammers spending Christmas inside the relegation zone, having now lost ten of their opening 16 league matches. City, meanwhile, continued their relentless form, with Pep Guardiola’s side recording a fifth straight league win to briefly climb to the summit of the table.
Erling Haaland was the driving force behind City’s dominance. The Norwegian striker struck twice and played a key role in the other goal, underlining the vast difference in quality between the reigning champions and a West Ham side struggling for confidence.
City needed just five minutes to assert control. Phil Foden’s delivery from the left found Haaland, who finished decisively to put the hosts ahead and set the tone for what followed. West Ham barely threatened in the opening period, with a lone Jarrod Bowen cross flashing across the box their only moment of note in an otherwise one-sided first half.
The visitors’ defensive issues were laid bare again shortly before the break. Rayan Cherki reacted quicker than Mateus Fernandes to burst into the penalty area before teeing up Haaland. With the angle gone, the striker showed his awareness by laying the ball off to Tijjani Reijnders, who rifled a close-range effort into the roof of the net.
West Ham showed a little more urgency after the restart and briefly hinted at a response. Crysencio Summerville caused problems down the left, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a sharp save from Freddie Potts before Fernandes blazed the rebound over. Bowen also went close during the Hammers’ best spell of the game, dragging a shot wide.
Any hopes of a comeback were ended midway through the second half. City surged forward through Savinho and Rico Lewis, and Haaland applied the finishing touch in the 69th minute to make it 3–0, taking his remarkable tally for club and country this season to 38 goals.
City could have added more, with Foden, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol all threatening, while Haaland narrowly missed out on a hat-trick late on. West Ham continued to chase a consolation, but Donnarumma’s save from Summerville proved as close as they came.
The loss means West Ham are now winless in six matches and stranded on 13 points, three adrift of safety.
With both first-choice full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf absent due to AFCON duty, Nuno’s depleted squad looks increasingly fragile as the relegation battle intensifies.
One player in particular came under fire after the match.
Centre-back Max Kilman endured a torrid afternoon trying to contain Haaland, and his display prompted an extraordinary reaction from commentator Tom Rennie.
Posting on X, Rennie described Kilman as the worst footballer he has ever seen, a brutally blunt assessment that reflects growing frustration with West Ham’s defence.
With their porous backline a major factor in their struggles, strengthening at centre-back is believed to be on the agenda in January.
While replacing the outgoing Niclas Füllkrug up front remains a priority, Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell is reportedly a leading defensive target.
Bringing in genuine competition for Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo could prove vital if West Ham are to avoid an unwanted return to the Championship.
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