West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has voiced his frustration with the officiating during Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Arsenal, claiming that two of the Gunners’ five goals should not have counted. Despite a resounding 5-2 win for the visitors at the London Stadium, all seven goals—including the two West Ham scored—came in a dramatic first-half display.
Lopetegui, who was forced to watch from the stands due to a one-match touchline ban, expressed his disappointment with two specific moments in the game: Arsenal’s opening goal and their fifth goal, which was a penalty just before the break.
The Hammers boss believes the first goal, which came in the 10th minute, should have been disallowed. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka delivered a corner, which Gabriel Magalhães headed into the net to give the Gunners an early lead. However, Lopetegui contends that Jurrien Timber had fouled West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá by obstructing him, preventing the Brazilian from jumping to challenge for the ball. “I think that it was very, very close with Paqueta being fouled at the corner when Gabriel scored the first goal,” Lopetegui said, insisting that the infringement was clear in his opinion. “That was a tough moment for us.”
The second contentious goal came just before halftime, when Arsenal was awarded a penalty after goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański was judged to have fouled Gabriel in the penalty area while attempting to clear a corner. Lopetegui was critical of the decision, labeling the penalty as soft. “It was a very, very soft action for the penalty,” he stated, defending Fabiański, who had claimed to have touched the ball during the incident.
Lopetegui also noted the circumstances surrounding the scoreline, commenting that while the final result may suggest a dominant performance by Arsenal, the reality of the match was more nuanced. “It was a very strange first half above all,” he explained. “I think that when you see the score, 2-5, you think it has been an incredible storm, but it wasn’t like that.” He continued, “We didn’t do well, it’s true that we have to do better, but they scored with two penalties, one set-piece action.”
Despite the frustrations with the refereeing decisions, Lopetegui remained optimistic about his team’s response in the second half. “There was energy about us after the second goal by Emerson, thinking that with one goal more, we are very close to getting back level,” he reflected. While West Ham could not mount a full comeback, Lopetegui was pleased with his side’s effort after the break, saying, “I think that the players did well in the second half.”
Addressing the opening goal again, Lopetegui was adamant that the rules should be applied consistently. “There is one player that bumped into the back of Paquetá with the only intention that he can’t jump,” he said, adding, “The rules have to be the same for all of us. The first goal was a set-piece that we prepared and, in my opinion, has been a very, very clear foul.”
Lopetegui concluded by expressing his belief that West Ham had been unlucky with the key decisions during the match. “We were unlucky with the decisions today,” he said, stressing that they had raised concerns about similar situations with the referee before the match. “As a coach, we have to know the limit.”
Ultimately, while Lopetegui acknowledged his team’s need for improvement, he highlighted the role that officiating decisions played in the outcome of the match. Despite the heavy defeat, he remains focused on addressing those areas of concern and improving West Ham’s performance going forward.