01 February 2024 , 19:52
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Kalvin Phillips suffered a nightmare start to his time at West Ham, gifting a goal to Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke just minutes into his debut.
Phillips has joined the Hammers on loan until the end of the season, having grown frustrated with the lack of opportunities at Manchester City. The England international was thrown straight into the starting line-up by David Moyes on Thursday night for his first start in the Premier League this season, but the excitement quickly subsided.
Kurt Zouma gave Phillips a dangerous square pass on the edge of the penalty area and, under pressure from Ryan Christie, he touched the ball back to Solanke. The Cherries striker couldn't believe his luck and calmly stroked the ball past Alphonse Areola to make it 1-0 inside three minutes.
The goal was initially ruled out for offside, with the linesman thinking Christie had played it to Solanke, but the decision was checked by VAR. Phillips knew was what coming, telling Solanke "I passed it back to him" as Bournemouth players waited for confirmation as to whether the goal would be awarded.
“Kalvin Phillips has had an absolute shocker there," one viewer wrote on Twitter. Another added: “Everyone was saying go for Kalvin Phillips. This is what happens when you don't play football for ages." A third wrote: “What a start for Kalvin Phillips – he could’ve not touched the ball and it would’ve been offside."
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To make matters worse for Phillips, England assistant manager Steve Holland was watching from the stands at the London Stadium. Phillips moved to West Ham in part because he wanted to make sure he is in Gareth Southgate's squad at Euro 2024 in the summer.
Phillips, who is wearing the No11 shirt during his stint at West Ham, arrived to much fanfare in east London, with Moyes short of options in central midfielder. Striker Danny Ings sung his praises in the build-up to the Bournemouth game.
Kalvin Phillips gave Dominic Solanke a goal (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)“I know Kalvin and he’s a great guy, and a very good player,” Ings said. “He’s a very good addition to the squad here. He comes in with experience and he’s a top lad. He could be a very important player for us.
“Everyone in the squad is important, but bringing a player in like Kalvin is huge. He makes teams tick. He’s very good on the ball, has great vision and his passing range is unbelievable.
“He’s great to have in the dressing room, too. He’s fitting in perfectly well and he’s already got established relationships with some of the lads. I’m sure he will want to hit the ground running here.”