Julen Lopetegui reveals 'frustration' at West Ham result but praises Lucas Paqueta after role change

Julen Lopetegui reveals 'frustration' at West Ham result but praises Lucas Paqueta after role change
Share:
Julen Lopetegui reveals 'frustration' at West Ham result but praises Lucas Paqueta after role change
Author: Dom Smith
Published: Dec, 16 2024 23:12

Julen Lopetegui admitted “frustration” that West Ham could not hold on against Bournemouth but praised the performance of goalscorer Lucas Paqueta. The Hammers earned a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium in which they thought they had won the game in dramatic fashion when Paqueta calmly slotted home from the spot after a late VAR call awarded a penalty for a Tyler Adams handball.

However, Bournemouth hit back and claimed their point through an exceptional direct free-kick by Enes Unal in the 90th minute. A draw kept West Ham 14th in the Premier League table but moved the Cherries up to sixth. “Today I think that the team showed very good behaviours as a team,” said Lopetegui. “I was happy with how we played against a very good team in Bournemouth.

“Fair or not, it’s one point. We have to [accept] this. In my opinion, we were better in the first half. Maybe Andoni [Iraola] is going to say the opposite about the second half. We were very close to achieving the three points. “I prefer to be positive. It was a frustration when you have lost two points so close to the end, but we have to keep the positive things and look forward with a positive mentality. I was happy with the mentality and the way that we played.”.

Following two games on where he started on the bench, Paqueta was reintroduced into the starting line-up at the Vitality Stadium and produced an impressive display, including a well-taken penalty. “It was not easy for him, because in the first half he started on the right,” Lopetegui said of Paqueta.

Share:

More for You

Top Followed