Forget Zouma: WHU passenger who lost 83% of duels vs Spurs failed Moyes’ big test - opinion

West Ham United’s top-six hopes were dealt a major blow on Sunday afternoon as David Moyes’ side lost 3-1 away at fierce rivals and fellow European-qualification contenders Tottenham Hotspur.

The hosts romped into a 2-0 lead before the half-hour mark thanks to an own goal from Hammers defender Kurt Zouma and a Heung-Min Son strike before Said Benrahma halved West Ham’s deficit before the interval.

However, the South Korean netted his second of the match late on to secure all three points for Tottenham which sees the Lilywhites climb up to fifth whilst the Irons drop to seventh.

It was certainly an afternoon to forget in north London for the East London club with regular star performers off colour. However, Moyes did hand a start to left-back Arthur Masuaku, who struggled to take his opportunity.

According to SofaScore, the DR Congo international made just 37 touches whilst losing possession on nine occasions in a performance rated 6.1, the joint-second-lowest of his side alongside Lukasz Fabianski, with Zouma’s 5.8 below.

Moreover, the 28-year-old, who was deployed at left-wing-back, won just one of an attempted six duels at a loss rate of 83% whilst failing to make a single tackle, block or interception.

There was little going forward from Masuaku, who was making his first league appearance in over two months, either with three failed dribble attempts, zero shots and just one completed cross.

The only positive from the 28-year-old’s performance was his passing, ending the match with a 91% success rate. Although, that conclusion came early as Moyes hooked the wing-back after just 56 minutes.

Masuaku’s campaign has certainly been mixed, with the DR Congo international playing in ten consecutive league matches between