A disappointed Manuel Pellegrini spoke to the press at London Stadium last night after his West Ham United team were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the Round Four stage by London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-3.
Son Heung-min opened the scoring on 17 minutes for Spurs, before doubling their advantage just after half-time, ex-Arsenal man Lucas Perez pulled one back for the Hammers, but Fernando Llorente put the game to bed inside the final 15 minutes. Below is the full transcript from Pellegrini’s post-match press conference, which West Ham Matters were fortunate enough to be in.
On Whether Tottenham’s Third Goal Killed Off The Tie:
“Yes, maybe not only the third goal, I think the first goal also was a moment that we dominated a little bit more, the game, and they scored their first goal.
“After that, we made a mistake in the second, when we discount, after that came the corner (that led to the third goal).”
On Club-Record Signing Felipe Anderson Being Hauled Off At Half-Time:
“I didn’t want Felipe to play more than 45 minutes, he needs to play on Saturday also, so before the game, I decided he was just going to play 45.
“And with Robert (Snodgrass, he would play) the other 45 minutes, it’s important to continue in this cup, but we couldn’t.
“But, we always must think that more important is the Premier (League match), that we must play on Saturday.”
On The Two Pitch Invaders In The Second Half:
“Well, really, I think that this is not good for football, I think that one of the most important things that the Premier (League) has is that all is organised (well).
“So, I think that it was not good for football.”
On Whether The Second Pitch Invasion, Seconds Prior To Spurs Making It 1-3, Distracted His Defenders:
“When you lose, I don’t think it’s good to try to find excuses.”
On The Fitness Of Marko Arnautovic After He Picked Up A Knock Following His Second-Half Introduction:
“Marko just worked one day during the week, so it was too risky for him to play more minutes.
“30 minutes was enough for him, but he hasn’t had any problem, he’s always (got) some disturbance with his knee, but it’s not an injury.”
On The Performance Of Youngster Grady Diangana:
“I think that, especially in the first half, he played very well, I think that maybe after that, he felt a little bit of the pace of the game.
“But he’s a player that always, (when) he has the ball, demonstrates (he can do) important things.
“I think that he’s a player that has a lot of confidence for me, for the staff and for himself.”
Next up for Pellegrini and West Ham will be Saturday afternoon’s visit of Burnley to London Stadium in the Premier League, as they attempt to end a run of four games without a win. Stay across all our platforms for further reaction to the Irons exiting the League Cup at the hands of bitter rivals Spurs and build-up to the Clarets clash, in the coming days.
