You simply cannot have a first half like that. Badly set up, awful in possession, giving away crap goals and playing at 60% pace. We improved a bit after HT - as West Ham did their Moyes thing of sitting on a lead - but another horror show of a goal and it's all over.
No issues with the disallowed goal other than VAR taking an inexplicable amount of time, I thought it was offside before he even put it in the net.
Poor stuff and both 4 and 5 at the back cause us issues, there's no balancing act (at least until Neto comes back). We have to stop this hybrid stuff, pick one and go with it. We don't have good enough players in or out of possession to switch around like that.
Coufal should have walked but doubt it would have mattered.
Bentley: Awful, awful, awful. Somehow we got away with his Brad Jones impression off crosses. Absolutely dismal "effort" on the first that's more or less down the middle. Not great on the other two and a spectator when Bowen hit the post.
Semedo: Half-arsed in that shocking first half. Probably should have shot on the disallowed goal, the space was there.
Dawson: You know what he is. You know what he can and can't do. Accordingly he looked poor when Bowen ran directly at him or there was any ball in behind.
Kilman: Slow and tepid, causes us a load of issues. How can you have an allegedly £30m+ CH and captain who can only play if he has a load of cover around him, who can't lead or inspire, who is so limited on the ball? Not for me, ta.
Toti: Second successive shocker from him, particularly dreadful on the second goal. Whichever formation we play over Christmas, he probably shouldn't be involved.
Lemina: Tried hard but was covering far too much ground because...
J Gomes: Had a very poor game, as he did vs Fulham and Burnley. He's got a load of ability and he's still very young but this wasn't anywhere near the level required. George Saville quality on the ball and Darren Ferguson quality off it.
Bellegarde: Fish out of water in the weird role we had him starting in. There's something there to work with but we haven't remotely sussed out where to use it.
Sarabia: Did at least try to get attacks going if nothing else.
Cunha: Easily our best player on the day. Kept going and the only genuine threat on the ball.
Hwang: If he's not scoring then he frequently looks pointless. Starting him wide right is daft as he pretty much always looks awful there. Got absolutely nothing right first half.
Subs: Badly executed, you're telling me it's not worth trying Sasa in that situation, even for 20 minutes? But no Gal, you bring on Matt Doherty. I love watching someone who couldn't play at RB 10 years ago in L1 try to do in the PL in 2023.
Away form has gone to shit and we need to step it up, relegation shouldn't be anywhere near the agenda but we cannot show up like that. It's nowhere near good enough.
