Sebastien Haller fails his big West Ham audition, Moyes now must act in January – TBR View

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West Ham narrowly lost out to Liverpool last night at Anfield despite going ahead through Pablo Fornals on Meryseyside.

The Hammers enjoyed a good first half but ran out of steam somewhat in the second period, as Liverpool turned the screw and eventually found a winning goal through Diogo Jota.

David Moyes opted to go with Sebastien Haller at the top of the pitch in place of Michail Antonio. The former Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest man is set to miss at least a few weeks with injury.

But in what was a big night for Haller and a chance for him to show everyone why he can replace Antonio, it turned into something of a nightmare as he was dominated by Liverpool rookie, Nat Phillips.

It was the performance of a man low on confidence, short on match fitness, and someone who, in all honesty, looked like he didn’t want to be there.

January now massive

Moyes now faces a big decision when it comes to January. West Ham paid a reported £45m for Haller just last summer. But that money looks like being a big waste. We are now over 16 months into Haller’s time with the club and we’ve seen a paltry 12 goals.

And last night was a demonstration from Haller that he isn’t going to be the man for the Hammers. Of course, he’s not expected to stretch the defence like Antonio does.

But he offered little in the air and, as Jamie Carragher pointed out more than once, seemed to simply watch Liverpool defenders win the ball at times.

For £45m, you at least expect the maximum effort and to make himself a nuisance. Oli McBurnie did it for Sheffield United the week before, setting the blueprint for Haller to follow.

The Frenchman, though, chose not to follow the path shown to him the Blades striker. Moyes, then, should now look to act in January with it being clear that Haller is not up to the task of replacing Antonio if he’s injured again.