- West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips stuck his finger up at fans following abuse
- Phillips was boarding the coach following West Ham’s 4-3 loss to Newcastle
- Why a defeat against Arsenal will be curtains for Man City’s title defence – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Kalvin Phillips reacted angrily to being called ‘useless’ by a West Ham supporter and flashed his middle finger as he boarded the team bus following their 4-3 defeat at Newcastle.
Hammers boss David Moyes admitted his decision to bring on Phillips with his side leading 3-1 at St James’ Park ‘did not work’. There were 21 minutes to play when the Manchester City loanee replaced Michail Antonio.
The midfielder, who is on loan at West Ham from Manchester City, was boarding the coach back from Newcastle when the incident occurred.
Fans were heard asking to take a picture with Phillips but he instead got on the team bus, before one supporter shouted that he is ‘useless’.
Phillips, clearly angry at the criticism, then stuck his middle finger up, with fans subsequently saying ‘get out’.
West Ham’s Kalvin Phillips stuck his middle finger up at fans after their defeat by Newcastle
The Man City loanee endured a nightmare afternoon – giving away a penalty in the 4-3 loss
Phillips had endured a nightmare afternoon, conceded a penalty for a foul on Anthony Gordon in the 77th minute, from which Alexander Isak scored.
He was also turned by Harvey Barnes for the goal that brought the home side’s victory in the 90th minute.
Since joining West Ham on loan in January, Phillips has made eight appearances, mainly featuring as a substitute.
The 28-year-old had made just four Premier League appearances for Manchester City in the first half of the season, none of which were starts. He has also endured a miserable time at City since signing for £42million in 2022.
Furthermore, Phillips, who was previously a key player for Gareth Southgate, was left out of the England squad for games against Brazil and Belgium.
In a hugely eventful game on Saturday, Isak put Newcastle ahead with a penalty in the sixth minute. Michail Antonio then equalised for West Ham, with Mohammed Kudus putting the visitors in the lead before Jarrod Bowen added to it.
Isak reduced the deficit with another penalty after Phillips’ aforementioned foul on Gordon. Harvey Barnes struck a brace late on as Newcastle managed to take all three points despite Gordon being sent off in the closing stages.
One fan on X had predicted that West Ham, who were leading 3-1 at the time, would lose 4-3 after Phillips came on.
Phillips conceded a penalty as he caught Anthony Gordon in West Ham’s loss to Newcastle
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