'We can't blame the ref'
The was a lot of irritation about the performance of Spanish referee José María Sánchez Martínez at the London Stadium last night.
West Ham striker Michail Antonio was particularly annoyed at decisions that did not go his way, which he felt contributed to the home side eventually bowing out of the Europa League at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1 on aggregate after Thursday's 1-1 draw.
However, midfielder James Ward-Prowse believes the Hammers have to look at themselves first.
"The level of officiating is a little bit different compared to the Premier League," he said.
"The leniency with fouls varies from time to time. Mick (Antonio) is strong and he’s up-front, so maybe there’s a certain image against him and he can't win fouls he should.
"But that’s refereeing and that’s football. We’ve all been on the end of bad decisions.
"Ultimately, we have to be honest and look at our performance and see that it wasn’t quite enough. The damage was done in the first leg."
