West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka appears to be the latest scapegoat in the Hammers’ relegation dogfight.

The 28-year-old has been criticised by some supporters for his “lazy” defending — a judgement that wasn’t helped by aspects of his performance against Liverpool on Saturday.

Wan-Bissaka was arguably at fault for one or two of the five goals the Irons conceded at Anfield. In the first half, the Congolese international failed to pick up Hugo Ekitike, who opened the scoring after just five minutes.

Additionally, his defending against Cody Gakpo — who scored Liverpool’s fourth goal — was rather apathetic. It’s fair to say that Hammers fans were not pleased with Wan-Bissaka’s display.

The West Ham right-back has been criticised on several occasions this season. Although he has not shown the same consistency as last year, much of that criticism feels harsh.

Granted, Wan-Bissaka’s defending on Saturday was suspect at times, but the full-back once again showed real initiative going forward, as he has done many times since joining the club.

The former Manchester United defender is a reserved character, and there is certainly an air of nonchalance to his game. But he is also the West Ham player you can rely on for last-ditch tackles, goal-line clearances and powerful bursts up the wing to spark attacks.

In truth, no individual stood out as particularly poor on Saturday despite the heavy defeat. In recent weeks, Wan-Bissaka’s defensive partners have been in such strong form that his solid-but-unspectacular performances may be mistaken for disappointing displays.

Wan-Bissaka beat Jarrod Bowen to Hammer of the Year in 2025, and since then the reaction from sections of the fanbase towards him has been strange.

He also hasn’t been helped by the exceptional performances of the recently departed Vladimír Coufal in the Bundesliga — another player who often faced unwarranted criticism during his time at West Ham.

Like Bowen, Wan-Bissaka is likely a victim of his own high standards. When players of his calibre produce merely average displays, they are scrutinised more heavily. West Ham rely on senior figures like him to deliver results, especially in moments like this.

He hasn’t quite hit the heights of last season, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka remains a quality player — and one who still has a huge role to play in West Ham’s run-in this season.