West Ham fans are not happy with £20m player who lost possession 12 times during draw with Bournemouth

Tue 17 December 2024 8:15, UK

West Ham United looked well on course to secure back-to-back wins away at Bournemouth until they conceded a last-minute free-kick.

Julen Lopetegui came so close to securing one of his biggest wins as Hammers boss until a 90th-minute free-kick which Enes Unal incredibly stuck away. The East Londoners looked to have won it as Lucas Paqueta scored from the penalty spot with just three minutes left on the clock, however, reckless defending cost them.

West Ham will come away from the South Coast still pleased with a point though as Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham have all suffered defeats at the Vitality Stadium this term. But it could and should have been three points.

Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

West Ham fans slam Konstantinos Mavropanos’ decision-making

West Ham fans were left fuming with Konstantinos Mavropanos who gave away an unnecessary free-kick as the game headed into stoppage time. Unal still had much work to do to score from 25 yards out, but the 27-year-old managed to find the back of the net with a wonderfully struck effort.

Mavropanos was forced into the team following an injury to Jean-Clair Todibo and the drop-off in quality between the pair is stark. The Greek international has struggled on several occasions this season and cost them dearly against the Cherries.

Stat	Total
Minutes	90
Clearances	4
Blocked shots	2
Error led to shot	1
Ground duels (won)	3 (1)
Possession lost	12

Konstantinos Mavropanos’ stats vs Bournemouth ()

Following his move from Stuttgart, the 27-year-old has struggled in East London and against Andoni Iraola’s side he made a costly error. Following the game, West Ham fans took to X to share their frustrations towards Mavropanos and some are even calling for the young Kaelan Casey to start ahead of him in future.

A draw is a fair result. Both teams played well.

Having said that, reckon we see out the win if Mavropanos doesn't commit that unnecessary foul. Has to be dropped for the next game, too much of a liability.

Credit to the team though. Gave it a real go.

⚒️
— West Ham News & Views (@WestHamViews_)

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One fan said: “Mavropanos is not good enough to play for us – and that’s not harsh, it’s truth.”

Mavropanos costs us every single week.

If Tobido’s not fit, Casey should be starting.
— Whucentre (@Whu_Centre)

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“A decent point and great to see Casey and Scarles on the pitch. The only frustration is Mavropanos’ decision-making. He still lacks consistency,” added another supporter.

I know it’s obvious, but Todibo is so much better than Mavropanos
— West Ham Transfers (@westhamtransfer)

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Finally, one fan claimed: “Mavropanos will consistently cost us more points than any other player at this club. A complete liability.”

Where does a point vs Bournemouth leave West Ham?

West Ham will be left ruing dropping two points as a win would have taken them to within touching distance of the top half. The Premier League table is becoming quite congested with just nine points separating fourth and 14th.

Lopetegui will be keen for his side to continue climbing the table following an improved run of results. In their last eight matches, they have taken points off of Manchester United, Newcastle, Everton, Wolves and now Bournemouth. Next up they host Brighton at the London Stadium.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
9	BrightonBrighton	16	6	6	4	26	25	1	24
10	TottenhamTottenham	16	7	2	7	36	19	17	23
11	BrentfordBrentford	16	7	2	7	32	30	2	23
12	NewcastleNewcastle	16	6	5	5	23	21	2	23
13	Man UtdManchester United	16	6	4	6	21	19	2	22
14	West HamWest Ham	16	5	4	7	21	29	-8	19
15	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	16	3	7	6	17	21	-4	16
16	EvertonEverton	15	3	6	6	14	21	-7	15
17	LeicesterLeicester	16	3	5	8	21	34	-13	14
18	IpswichIpswich	16	2	6	8	16	28	-12	12