Kyle Walker-Peters expressed his frustration after three second-half goals condemned West Ham United to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Hammers started brightly in front of a vociferous crowd at London Stadium, with arguably the best chance of the half falling to Lucas Paquetá, who narrowly shot wide shortly after the quarter-hour mark following a neat move that was partly initiated by Walker-Peters.
Captain Jarrod Bowen had a go at goal in the very early stages of the second period, but Pape Matar Sarr’s 47th-minute header shifted the momentum in the visitors’ favour, and a Tomáš Souček red card, for a mis-timed tackle on João Palhinha, put West Ham further on the back foot.
Another header, from Lucas Bergvall, and a close-range Micky van de Ven finish put the result beyond doubt, and Walker-Peters explained that there was a sense of what might have been in the home dressing room at full-time.
“In the first half, we felt like we had a certain amount of control,” said our No2, who came through the youth ranks at Tottenham, and scored one goal in 24 senior appearances for the north Londoners between 2017 and 2020.
“We had some good chances, made good decisions, and just didn't put the ball in the back of the net. In the end, we were punished for that, and that just shows the level that we’re playing at.
“In the Premier League, you have to be ruthless when you get opportunities, because it’s hard to get those openings, and teams make you pay, like Spurs have done today.
“We need to go away and analyse the goals. It (set-pieces) is something we’ve been really working on, so we have to look at that and improve for the next game.
“We also need to make sure we dust ourselves down quickly after we concede goals, stay focused and keep ourselves in the game. We’ve got things to look at, but in the end I think today just wasn’t meant for us.”
A third defeat in four Premier League outings so far in 2025/26 pushes West Ham back down the table, to 18th at the time of writing, and Walker-Peters stressed how hard the team will work to bounce back at the first time of asking against Crystal Palace next Saturday.
On a personal note, the 28-year-old is pleased to have been picked from the start in each of the Hammers’ last three outings in all competitions, and he is hoping to play a key role in a charge up the ranks in the weeks to come.
Walker-Peters added: “It’s important not to get too high or low in football. We’re obviously very disappointed tonight, and this hurts for sure, but come Monday, we’ll get back to work and start focusing on putting things right against Crystal Palace.
“I am enjoying being here at the Club, and being in the team. The boys and the management have made it really easy for me to settle in, so that’s all been really good. Obviously now a run of results is the next thing, and hopefully I can play a part in making that happen.”
