Journalist Roshane Thomas slammed Said Benrahma's role despite West Ham's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, as their Premier League improvements continue.
How did West Ham fare against Arsenal?
The Hammers were back in league action on Sunday, looking to kick on from their 1-0 victory away to Fulham last weekend and aiming to pull further away from the relegation battle in the process.
It was a shocking start for the hosts, who fell behind to Gabriel Jesus' tap-in, as the Gunners opened up West Ham's defence with worrying ease. Martin Odegaard then doubled the advantage with a close-range finish, with the Norwegian afforded all the space in the world to finish past Lukasz Fabianski, with the north Londoners looking set for a comfortable three points.
Benrahma reduced the arrears after scoring from the penalty spot, following a foul on Lucas Paqueta, and while Jarrod Bowen earned his team a point, the former's defensive involvement in the opening two goals still proved costly.
Was Benrahma to blame?
Taking to Twitter, Thomas rued the 27-year-old's negative impact on the game, as David Moyes' side picked up an important Premier League point in what has been an up-and-down season:
"Benrahma largely at fault for both goals. Really poor."
While Benrahma found the net on the day, so wasn't solely a negative influence at the London Stadium, he simply didn't do his job well enough defensively. Odegaard's goal was particularly poor, as he allowed the midfielder to ghost in behind him to score with ease at the back post, and such moments must be so infuriating for Moyes to witness, as he looks to keep things tight at the back.
In the modern game, an attacking player doing the dirty work is absolutely essential, so Benhahma's lack of effort was unacceptable and won't endear himself to supporters, having been brought back into the starting lineup.
On this evidence, there have to be question marks over whether or not the Algerian deserves to keep his place for the visit of Genk on Thursday evening, as West Ham look to progress in the UEFA Europa Conference League, and also for the trip to Bournemouth next Sunday, which could be another key league encounter.
