David Moyes cut frustrated figure following our first defeat of the season yesterday, with chances missed that could well have produced a very different outcome.

Our Hammers fell to a 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium at the hands of Manchester City, in a result that arguably flattered the visitors, with chances for West Ham going begging that Moyes was left to rue at the final whistle.

“We were close to a second on a couple of set pieces,” stated Moyes after the game when speaking to the press, as reported by the clubs Official Website. “Kurt forced the ‘keeper into a really good save and Mick got away 1v1 and just overran his touch when we could have been in for a chance.

“They were the moments against Chelsea which went in our favour when they missed a penalty and Mick got away to make it 2-1, not in an un-similar situation. It’s small margins and a few of them have gone our way in games, but today we didn’t really take those chances.

“I think this one was always a challenge, no matter what. I thought the optimism we’ve got around the place was great, coming here thinking we had a chance against Manchester City and being in a good league position. I think it’s a good way to be.

“But we’re talking about the champions of the major European competition and the champions of the Premier League and they’re really hard to beat, really hard.”

The boss also admitted that losing Edson Alvarez to a suspected injury (ExWHUEmployee will be providing an update on The West Ham Way Patreon re his status) was a key turning point in the match, with the Mexican again impressing in his defensive midfield role.

“Alvarez got injured and he had been booked before,” added the boss. “Which was a worry for me because we had talked about it and he had given away another free-kick outside the box.

“We were a bit worried what he was going to get away with, but Edson played really well and when we took him off, things probably changed around a little bit.

“But also we tried to change to try and make it more positive and get a couple more chances to maybe take them on and beat them.

“Against Man City, everyone wants you to open up and play an expansive game but the minute you do it, you’re more liable of losing, so that’s why we always make ourselves resilient, tough to play against and hard to beat.”

It wasn’t the result that was hoped but there is no denying that for the vast majority of the match, West Ham were more than in the contest, and with a bit more rub of the green, could have been the side walking away with the 3 points.