Kalvin Phillips’ disappointing loan spell at West Ham took a turn for the worse as he was captured engaging in a heated confrontation with fans following Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Newcastle.
The England international has struggled to find form since arriving from Manchester City in January and gave away a disputed penalty shortly after coming off the bench at St James’ Park.
The Hammers were 3-1 up when the midfielder was brought on in the 69th minute but Alexander Isak’s second successful spot-kick of the match and a double from Harvey Barnes won it for the Magpies.
In a video circulated on social media, a spectator’s voice can be discerned shouting, “Useless!” as Phillips heads towards the team coach post-match.
Inside the vehicle, Phillips is distinctly captured through the windscreen gesturing with his middle finger towards the fans. West Ham has opted not to provide any commentary on the occurrence.
West Ham fan: "Useless!"
Kalvin Phillips: "🖕" pic.twitter.com/uoZnOIqKVQ— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 30, 2024
David Moyes said of his decision to bring Phillips on in the second half:
“I thought an extra midfield player would give us a bit more control in the middle of the pitch at that time. But obviously it didn’t work.”
The West Ham manager added:
“At the time, I felt that they were slightly the better team. We were 2-1, we got 3-1 but from that point onwards, we needed to defend well and be stronger and be harder to play against.”
