Kalvin Phillips concedes penalty in West Ham v Newcastle United

Mon 1 April 2024 15:10, UK

Tony Cascarino has defended Kalvin Phillips after the midfielder gave away a penalty as West Ham were defeated 4-3 by Newcastle United on Saturday (30 March).

Replacing Michail Antonio with 20 minutes remaining, with the Hammers leading 3-1, the Manchester City loanee continued his tough spell at the London Stadium as Rob Jones awarded a penalty for the Magpies.

Phillips was involved with Anthony Gordon, wiping the Newcastle winger out while trying to clear the ball out of West Ham's penalty area, with Alexander Isak tucking another spot-kick away to begin the Newcastle comeback.

Speaking live via talkSPORT on Monday (1 April, 11:57am), Cascarino said: "Phillips has kicked his leg because Gordon put his leg there. Phillips is looking at the ball, trying to clear it, and Gordon is trying to get his leg around him to hook the ball.

"Gordon has missed the ball and put his leg in front as if to say, 'Go on, kick that'."

Natalie Sawyer added: "I agree with you, in the sense that I don't know what else Phillips could have done. He has no idea that Gordon is coming."

Cascarino continued, stating: "These things happen in the box sometimes. That's where, if you understand football, you can see what Gordon's motive was and you can see what Phillips' problem was. He was looking at the ball, but Gordon was clever and stuck his leg in the way.

"I used to do it. They think they can clear the ball and I'd put my foot at the side of the ball - they go right through you. Brainless."

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Does Kalvin Phillips deserve criticism for his display in West Ham United v Newcastle? Having only made three Premier League starts since arriving at the London Stadium, the 28-year-old will certainly be lacking match sharpness, which is why he would have been slow to react as a substitute.

Phillips has been slammed on several occasions already for his performances, so it is nice to see one former player come to his aid after suffering another setback against the Magpies.

His confidence is likely to be at an all-time low, with Pep Guardiola refusing to use him at Man City and the temporary move to the London Stadium yet to work out.

Kalvin Phillips has struggled to make an impact for West Ham 'Unlucky' is a word that comes to mind for the controversy involving Phillips, but the midfielder will be disappointed with his general performance after coming on as a substitute, with David Moyes hoping to control the final 20 minutes and leave St James' Park with a win.

However, due to Newcastle's comeback, with a Harvey Barnes brace helping take all three points away from the Hammers, Eddie Howe's side are just one point behind in the Premier League table.

In other West Ham news, Joe Cole predicted Lucas Paqueta to leave in a big-money transfer.