Captain Joe Hart said West Ham United have to ‘man up’ after losing 2-0 at Wigan Athletic in the Emirates FA Cup fourth round.
The England goalkeeper was left clearly frustrated as the Hammers were well beaten by the EFL League One leaders, who secured their passage thanks to a goal in each half from Will Grigg.
West Ham also lost Pedro Obiang to a knee injury and Arthur Masuaku to a red card shown for spitting five minutes after half-time, but Hart said the Premier League side could make no excuses for their defeat at the DW Stadium
“Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, but I think we’ve only got ourselves to blame with a number of the incidents that have gone on, so it’s very disappointing,” he said.
“We conceded early but I don’t think that’s a good enough excuse. You go one-nil down, you pick yourself up and get back in the game. It’s a cup game and you keep fighting.
“It goes without saying that we didn’t take our chances to impress. It’s very disappointing on my behalf, because I want to perform and losing two-nil at Wigan is difficult, so I’m struggling for positives.”
We’ve only got ourselves to blame with a number of the incidents that have gone on, so it’s very disappointing
Joe Hart
West Ham’s surprise defeat, and the incidents that occurred during it, will undoubtedly receive attention in the media, but Hart says the Hammers have to stand up and be counted with important Premier League fixtures with Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion to come this week.
“Everyone has got to stand up and take responsibility. There’s no hiding with the way the FA Cup and Premier League are covered now, so I’m sure we’ll be pulled to pieces for it, but it is what it is.
“We’re going to have to get the lads focused and wheel them out. It’s very difficult, with what happened with Pedro, and I don’t really want to comment on what happened with Arthur, but they are going to be out for lengthy times, so we’ll have to man up and get with it.”