Maximilian Kilman insists there are positives to take from West Ham United’s narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United, on a night he believes fine margins dictated his team’s fate.
The Hammers worked up nine shots throughout the contest at London Stadium, with Tomáš Souček blazing over the best chance within the first minute, but ultimately it was the visitors’ Bruno Guimarães who struck the decisive blow shortly after the hour mark.
Kilman was involved in what proved to be the pivotal moment of the match, with our No26 appearing to be pushed in the back by Alexander Isak in the box, preventing him from getting his head to the ball that was eventually knocked into the net at the back post.
Not long after his strike, Guimarães looked to have brought Jarrod Bowen down in the box, but again the officials ruled in Newcastle’s favour and waved away the penalty appeals, leaving Kilman somewhat frustrated at full-time.
“I don’t think the goal should have been given,” the 27-year-old said. “I’m an honest player. I was going for the ball and I felt a push in the back.
“It was a strong push. Even if I was pushed and I felt like I would have won it, I would have won it. But he pushed me with two hands in the back, and I couldn’t keep my balance.
“I think the foul on Jarrod, soon after their goal, was a penalty as well. I’ve just looked back at it and it looked like a penalty.
“But that’s football, and there are fine margins. It was a tight game, with not a lot between us, but they scored with one of their opportunities and we didn’t take our chances.
“We just need to make sure we don’t lose our heads and move on to the next game now, focusing on the good things that we’re doing.”
The result spelled an end to West Ham’s two-game winning run, and leaves them 16th in the Premier League table, level on points with Everton, who are next up in the fixture list on Saturday.
Despite being disappointed, Kilman recognises his team’s improvement in all areas of the pitch over recent weeks under Graham Potter, including the fact that Guimarães’ goal is the only one they have conceded in three games.
And, after Michail Antonio was welcomed back to London Stadium prior to kick-off, he reserved a mention for the boost his teammate’s return to the fold has been for the whole squad over recent days and weeks.
Kilman added: “Ultimately we’ve not been good enough tonight, but I do think we look a lot more solid now, and that starts from the front.
“I think everyone is more tied into defending together and attacking together. Things look promising, and we just have to keep building because we’ve got more big games coming up.
“We’ve still got ten games to go, which is a lot, and we can still push on. We’ve got 30 points to play for, so we need to give our best and finish as high up the table as possible.
“It’s amazing [having Antonio back]. He’s such a great guy, and a top, top player. Even just having him back at the training ground has given us all a big boost, so that’s another positive to take forward.”
