West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez provided an unintended moment of comedy at the City Ground after his sending off, leaving Nottingham Forest fans in stitches.
Once again, Alvarez let down his teammates, fans, and manager, in what’s becoming a worrying trend this season.
His red card against Forest mirrored a similar incident five weeks ago in the Carabao Cup clash at Liverpool, where he was also dismissed.
Manager Julen Lopetegui recently admitted that he sat down with Alvarez to discuss his discipline issues, urging the Mexican to address this flaw in his game. Yet, today’s incident showed those words may have fallen on deaf ears.
In the intensity of the Premier League, the last thing West Ham need is a player losing his cool and putting the team at a disadvantage.
Alvarez’s lack of composure made it exceedingly difficult for his teammates to compete with a strong Forest side, and his actions could eventually prove costly for his career at West Ham.
In my view, this pattern can’t continue. Alvarez should be someone Lopetegui considers moving on either in January or next summer if he doesn’t improve his discipline.
But despite the frustration, Alvarez’s departure from the pitch gave fans something to laugh about.
As the commentators pointed out, Alvarez, seemingly disoriented, headed towards the corner flag instead of the tunnel, leading to an amusing spectacle. Realising his mistake, he eventually found his way off the field, but the damage was done.
Nottingham Forest fans revelled in the mishap, laughing and poking fun at the West Ham man as he awkwardly exited.
It was a moment where the situation went from bad to worse for Alvarez, adding salt to the wound. Ultimately, his ongoing recklessness is something he must address, or his future at West Ham could be in serious jeopardy.