Explained: Why West Ham boss David Moyes called Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen 'disgraceful' after Europa League defeat

West Ham manager David Moyes labelled Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen a ‘disgrace’ after being condemned to a 2-0 defeat in the Europa League.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Despite Leverkusen's incredible form heading to this match, West Ham were on course for a goalless draw until late substitutions Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface capitalised on a fatigued defence.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Moyes got infuriated at Leverkusen's bench and accused them of influencing the referee's decision to caution Paqueta following a foul on Amine Adli. It was the Brazilian's third yellow card of the competition, meaning he will miss the second leg alongside Emerson, we also went into the book.
WHAT MOYES SAID
Speaking to reporters, Moyes said: "He will be a huge miss but I thought their bench was a disgrace. He got surrounded. I thought it was disgraceful and was really disappointing. You should let the referee make the decision and not the way they reacted to the incident. I thought it was a rule all the way through. We would not all run off and surround him. It was a poor thing for them to do and they are a good side and they didn’t need to react like that."

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ALONSO RUBBISHES MOYES' CLAIMS
In response to Moyes' criticism, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso dismissed the complaints and defended the referee's decision. He said: “I have a lot of respect for David but I think it was a deserved (yellow card) from the referee and we don’t focus on their bench.”
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MOYES REMAINS UPBEAT DESPITE DEFEAT
Despite the defeat, Moyes remains optimistic about West Ham's chances in the competition and backed his troops to bounce back in the return leg at the London Stadium.
"We did a really good job defensively," Moyes said. We were aware of them scoring late goals in other games and they put us under intense pressure and we found it difficult. We were playing a Champions League team and a good one at that. We will have to come up trumps next week and the first thing we have to do is get one goal and take it from there. We know we are playing a good team but we are not out of the tie. If we can get that first goal it will make a difference."
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WHAT NEXT?
West Ham will host Leverkusen in the second leg on April 18. But before that, they will be in action against Fulham on Sunday in the Premier League. Leverkusen, meanwhile, could end their wait for a Bundesliga title if they beat Werder Bremen this weekend. A victory may not even be necessary to get the job done, as results elsewhere could also ensure they finish top of the pile.

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