- West Ham conceded two goals in five minutes of the second half in the defeat against Aston Villa
- Potter says nothing can replicate rival scorer's gut punch
- Hear It's all starting! Why Manchester United might have to sell Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho
Graham Potter admitted that even after almost two years out of management, nothing can replicate the punch in the gut when his West Ham team crashed out of the FA Cup to Aston Villa in his first game in charge.
The new Hammers boss saw his team concede twice in five second-half minutes as Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers canceled out Lucas Paquetá's early goal to put Villa through to the fourth round.
Potter returned to the dugout for the first time since he was sacked as Chelsea manager in April 2023 after replacing Julen Lopetegui on Thursday.
West Ham started brightly and controlled much of the game, but injuries to Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville in the first half allowed Villa to put pressure on them in the second half.
“I was really encouraged by our performance, the way the players tried to do what we asked of them was really encouraging,” Potter said. “The thing is that you can't replicate that feeling when your opponent scores and it hits you in the stomach, but it is what it is.”
“We had a couple of chances at the end but it wasn't meant to be and their first goal came from a corner we didn't think it was.” “We are disappointed.”
West Ham conceded two goals in five second-half minutes in the loss to Aston Villa.
Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers scored five minutes into the second half for Aston Villa
Potter admits he can replicate opponent's gut punch by scoring
Potter confirmed that £27million summer signing striker Fullkrug, who missed three months earlier in the season with an Achilles problem, appears to have suffered another serious injury.
“It's a pretty bad hamstring when you get up like that, so that's a concern for us,” Potter added. 'We need to evaluate it. Crysencio paused a little, we didn't think it was worth the risk to continue forward.'
The Hammers boss admitted that losing two key forwards to injury could mean the club have to turn to the transfer market this month, but he was not carried away by rumors linking the club with a move for the disgraced striker. Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.
“We have to look at the extent of the injuries and how long it will take for the guys to get back,” Potter said. 'We don't know the extent. If they come out, it is something we have to analyze.
'I used to say this about 20 months ago, I only comment on players who are West Ham players. Sometimes things written in the newspapers are not always true and one can get tangled up confirming and denying everything. It's about the group doing well collectively. There is no shortage of talent in this club.”
Villa manager Unai Emery said: “West Ham started well and we conceded an easy goal. Then we started to dominate the game better, not creating very good scoring opportunities, but stopping them. We needed to be patient and then impose ourselves and be consistent in our attack.
“This club has won this competition seven times, we have to be proud of our past, but also of the present and the future.”
Rogers, the winner of the match, dreams of the cutlery. 'Why can't we win it? In a cup competition anything can happen,” he said.