EPL

Debutant George Earthy taken to hospital after West Ham’s loss to Fulham

By Sports Desk April 14, 2024

West Ham teenager George Earthy was taken to hospital after suffering a horror head injury just two minutes into his Premier League debut.

The 19-year-old had just come on as a substitute when he collided with team-mate Edson Alvarez in the middle of the field.

Earthy fell to the ground awkwardly and appeared to have been knocked out cold, sparking worrying scenes as medics and team-mates rushed to help the stricken youngster.

After receiving treatment for eight minutes, Earthy was carried off on a stretcher. He was conscious when he was taken out of the London Stadium in an ambulance around 20 minutes after full-time.

The Hammers said: “West Ham United can confirm George Earthy will undergo an assessment in a London hospital this evening following the incident which saw him stretchered off during today’s Premier League fixture against Fulham.

“The midfielder – who entered the field as a second half substitute to make his Premier League debut against the Cottagers – was taken off in stoppage time.”

Manager David Moyes said: “I am really disappointed for George. He has been doing really well in training, done really well for the Under-21s.

“He started well with the ball, had some really nice touches. He is fine. It is a head knock. He is awake and has gone to hospital, we think he is OK at the moment. We all thought he had been knocked out but I don’t know any more.”

The incident overshadowed a 2-0 victory for Fulham courtesy of two goals from Andreas Pereira.

It was a second blow to West Ham’s European hopes in the space of four days, following Thursday night’s 2-0 Europa League first-leg defeat at Bayer Leverkusen, as a win would have lifted them to sixth.

“I thought we started well and should have been one or two goals up before they scored,” added Moyes.

“We were caught out by a long ball, we didn’t deal with it well. And we missed some opportunities to score as well. I think we dominated possession, kept the ball and passed it quite well. But we got done on the counter-attack.

“I’m gutted, today was a great chance to go sixth with five games to go, what a great position to be in.”

For Fulham it was a first win in four matches, and a first at West Ham since 2001.

Boss Marco Silva said: “Great win for us, well played from ourselves and to be honest we deserved the three points.

“West Ham had a good chance to score but after that, we scored the first goal and started to control the game. Overall we scored twice but created more chances to score as well.

“I think we were solid, compact and kept our concentration. We should have scored more goals to be even more comfortable.”

Related items

  • Guardiola believes De Bruyne will be difficult to replace at Man City Guardiola believes De Bruyne will be difficult to replace at Man City

    Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola knows it will be difficult to find a replacement for midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, should the Belgian depart next year.

    The playmaker joined City in 2015 and has played a key role in their trophy-laden spell since then, but he will be out of contract at the end of the season. 

    De Bruyne's season has been hampered by injury, but the 33-year-old started his first Premier League game since August as City returned to winning ways after seven winless games against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. 

    And Guardiola could not stress enough the impact De Bruyne has had on the club.   

    "I'm not involved in it," the City boss said, when quizzed about contract negotiations with De Bruyne. 

    "I would like to have him 23 years old and sign a contract for 10 years, this is what I'd like, we'll see."

    De Bryune signed for City a year before Guardiola's arrival and has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five EFL Cups while also helping them to their first-ever Champions League triumph during the 2022-23 season. 

    "There are players for whom the impact on the legacy of this club will be eternal, will be forever," said Guardiola. 

    "Of course, it is not easy to replace [them], but as a club, we have to find in the moment, if it's going to happen, we have to find the best way."

    Before the game against Forest, Guardiola had to brush aside suggestions of a rift between himself and De Bruyne.

    "People say I've got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don't want Kevin to play?" he said. 

    "The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don't want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together?

    "He's delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he's been five months injured [last season] and two months injured [this season].

    "He's 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He'll try to do it and feel better. I'm desperate to have his best."

  • 'Milan shown lack of respect' - Fonseca bemoans refereeing in Atalanta loss 'Milan shown lack of respect' - Fonseca bemoans refereeing in Atalanta loss

    Paulo Fonseca thinks referee Federico La Penna showed AC Milan "a lack of respect" during their 2-1 defeat by Atalanta.

    Ademola Lookman's late strike settled the contest at Gewiss Stadium, where Alvaro Morata cancelled out Charles De Ketelaere's earlier effort.

    While Atalanta climbed to the Serie A summit following a ninth straight win, Milan saw their seven-game unbeaten streak across all competitions come to an end.

    However, Fonseca suggested his side were on the wrong end of questionable officiating, including for the hosts' first goal, where he felt De Ketelaere pushed Theo Hernandez while climbing to head home.

    "I am not afraid to speak the truth," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I have always respected the work of the referees. I realise they have a difficult job, but every week, it is always the same.

    "The way the referee officiated throughout this evening was a lack of respect for Milan.

    "The first goal, [there] was a clear foul, there is absolutely no doubt. The way the referee officiated throughout was against Milan, there is no doubt."

    Although, Fonseca acknowledged poor defending from set-pieces proved costly for his side.

    "At the end of the day, we lost the game on two set-plays," he added. "The first half was very good, but in the second, we didn't have that link with the strikers.

    "I think we deserved more tonight, it was tough to accept conceding two goals from dead-ball situations."

    Meanwhile, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini revelled in his side's victory, which lifted them to the top of the table and already had their supporters chanting songs about winning the Scudetto.

    "Naturally, this is a great victory against a team with undoubtedly very talented players among the best in the league, and we thoroughly deserved the win," he said.

    "The people of Bergamo have their feet firmly on the ground, so don't take anything for granted. If we were still up there after another 20 games, it'd be different, but as things stand, it is an expression of joy and a deserved one, too."

  • Luis Enrique has 'nothing to complain about' despite PSG's stalemate with Auxerre Luis Enrique has 'nothing to complain about' despite PSG's stalemate with Auxerre

    Luis Enrique insists he has "nothing to complain about" after Paris Saint-Germain were held to a goalless draw by Auxerre.

    The Ligue 1 leaders dropped points for the second game running after an inspired performance by Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Leon at Stade de l'Abbe Deschamps.

    Fabian Ruiz saw a first-half goal chalked off for offside as PSG failed to score in a league game for the first time this season.

    Their cause was not aided by Leon, who made 11 saves during the match - the highest tally for a goalkeeper who has kept a clean sheet in the French top flight.

    Nevertheless, Luis Enrique focused on the positives of his side's performance against Nantes, who have only lost one of their seven league games on home soil this term.

    "It's clear that the result does not reflect what happened on the pitch, but we were up against the second-best team at home. We have created many chances to score," he told reporters.

    "Obviously, the unfinished business is scoring goals, which is what wins games, but I have nothing to complain about my team. We have tried until the end, all we have to do is keep on trying.

    "This is a team that scores a lot of goals and creates a lot of chances. If we are unlucky, I will never criticise my players for missing an opportunity to score. I just encourage them to keep building confidence and improve."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.