Kalvin Phillips' nightmare loan spell at West Ham continued as his foul sparked a remarkable Newcastle comeback at St. James' Park.
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Phillips comes on at 3-1 upConcedes penalty after seven minutesHarvey Barnes equalises moments laterWHAT HAPPENED?
Phillips was substituted on in the 69th minute and then just seven minutes later conceded a penalty for a foul on Anthony Gordon. Gordon was too quick for Phillips and nipped in to poke the ball away from the West Ham player whose missed clearance took the winger out. Alexander Isak, taking his second penalty of the game, converted another the spot-kick to take his side within one goal of the Hammers. To make matters worse for Phillips and the Hammers, Harvey Barnes scored a brace to win the game for the Magpies in the dying embers.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING
Bemused by Phillips' misfortune, fans flocked to X to share their opinion on the midfielder. @UtdEra_ said: "Kalvin Phillips to West Ham could go down as the worst loan of all time. He’s shocking."
West Ham fan @alanrzepa could not believe it. He said: "Kalvin Phillips can’t play for us ever again."
@HughMurray1894 added: "I actually feel bad for Kalvin Phillips at this point."
@thomasjrennie believes there are higher powers at stake. He said: "Never, ever bring on Kalvin Phillips. He’s cursed."
Jamie Kent drew comparisons to another awful loan signing. He said: "Kalvin Phillips is having genuinely one of the worse loan spells I’ve seen since Denis Suarez at Arsenal."
West Ham's luck with loan signings has been hit and miss in the past. @JackElderton tweeted: "I don't want to see Phillips again. He has cost us so many points since joining. Roberto the only other player to have such a bad run at West Ham in my lifetime."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Things have gone from bad to worse for Phillips, who has been dropped from the England squad since his loan move to West Ham. While he can feel unlucky to have conceded the penalty given he was unaware of Gordon behind him as he went to clear the ball, he could have reacted faster and could have no complaints when the spot-kick was given. Phillips' debut came in the 6-0 thrashing by Arsenal and in his second game he was sent off against Bournemouth for a challenge labelled 'stupid' by former referee Mike Dean. A series of calamitous and costly mistakes for the Hammers will have done little to impress England boss Gareth Southgate.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PHILLIPS?
Time is running out for Phillips for demonstrate he is still good enough to play for England at the European Championship in the summer. Yet, at the moment, every time he does play his chances seem to diminish. Since his nightmare move to Manchester City, the former Leeds captain's career has been derailed and it remains to be seen if he will have any suitors come the summer.
