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Pundit Jermaine Beckford has revealed the deeply concerning thing he noticed about West Ham’s players after the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leeds.
West Ham’s full focus now turns to Premier League survival after a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Leeds which denied the club a first FA Cup semi-final for two decades.
A dramatic game saw the Hammers come back from 2-0 down to level things up with two stoppage time goals.
West Ham had two further goals ruled out for offside in extra-time before young goalkeeper Fin Herrick had the stage set to be the unlikely hero after replacing Alphonse Areola in the 119th minute.
Beckford saw West Ham stars after cup loss and it doesn’t bode well
The 20-year-old shot-stopper got off to the perfect start in his first appearance for his boyhood club, saving Leeds’ first penalty.
He came close to getting a hand on a couple of others but weak efforts from Jarrod Bowen and Pablo saw the Hammers crash out.
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That now leaves Nuno Espirito Santo and his players with the sole focus of Premier League survival.
But Jermaine Beckford has made a worrying claim about West Ham players after the Leeds loss.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Ahead of the game, Paul Merson made an interesting claim about what would happen to the winners of West Ham vs Leeds – stating they would get the momentum needed to go on and secure top flight safety.
The Hammers face Wolves on Friday night in what is the biggest game of the season and simply a must win.
West Ham were embarrassed in the reverse fixture but have come a long way since.
However, yet another tie with extra-time and penalty shootout heartbreak is hardly the ideal preparation for the match.
West Ham players ‘dead on their feet and drained’ ahead of survival fight
Especially after both Areola and star player Adama Traore went off injured.
And it seems to have taken its toll on West Ham’s players judging by Beckford’s observations while working as a pundit on the game for HBO.
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Speaking alongside former Hammer Joe Cole, Beckford stated that he had ‘seen West Ham’s players after the game and they looked drained and dead on their feet’.
While understandable, that is not what West Ham fans – or Nuno – will want to hear with the huge Wolves clash looming large.
Photo by Izzy Poles – AMA/Getty Images
The stakes have never been higher for the Hammers right now.
West Ham know a win over the Premier League’s bottom side will see them climb out of the relegation zone and above rivals Spurs, who are away at Sunderland on Sunday.
There are fears at West Ham that the Roberto De Zerbi factor could see Tottenham pick up the wins needed to survive.
But Nuno’s side must ensure he starts his Tottenham tenure under immense pressure in the bottom three if they are to have any chance of survival.
Should West Ham win and Spurs fail to beat Sunderland then the Hammers will end the weekend outside the relegation zone for only the third time all season.
There will then be six games left to ensure it stays that way.
Relegation run-in remaining fixtures:TeamRemaining fixtures (Opponent + H/A)West Ham UnitedWolves (H), Crystal Palace (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle United (A) and Leeds United (H)Nottingham ForestAston Villa (H), Burnley (H), Sunderland (A), Chelsea (A), Newcastle United (H), Man United (A) and Bournemouth (H)Tottenham HotspurSunderland (A), Brighton (H), Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds United (H), Chelsea (A) and Everton (H)Leeds UnitedMan United (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Burnley (H), Spurs (A), Brighton (H) and West Ham (A)Join Our Newsletter
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