West Ham: Nuno reacts when asked awkward Taty Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen question | OneFootball

Nuno Espirito Santo was asked why Taty Castellanos took a 93rd minute penalty in West Ham's 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic over Jarrod Bowen.

West Ham United boss Nuno Espírito Santo has responded to questions over Taty Castellanos taking a 93rd-minute penalty ahead of skipper Jarrod Bowen, which the Argentine missed.

Ask any neutral who they would think will win the Championship this season before a ball was kicked, and 95% of them would likely say West Ham, given the quality they possess and stature of the club.

However, it's been a less than ideal start to the season for the Hammers, with just one point to their name in their opening two games, and a shocking home defeat to Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Lloyd Jones and Tyreece Campbell put the Addicks two to the good in the London Derby, which stunned the London Stadium, before latest signing Joel Piroe struck back for the home side with just over 15 minutes to play.

A late twist saw West Ham awarded a penalty in stoppage time, giving them a chance to rescue a point, but Castellanos missed from the spot, condemning the Irons to defeat and leaving some wondering why usual penalty taker Bowen didn't take the crucial spot kick.

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The defeat to Charlton on Saturday has piled even more pressure on Santo's shoulders, with patience from the West Ham supporters seemingly running thin, as they await their first league win of the season.

Castellanos' penalty miss rounded out what was a firmly miserable day for the East London outfit at the London Stadium, particularly after the Irons had fought back to get themselves back in the game.

After the match, a video surfaced on X via Justin Allen, where Santo was questioned in his post-match press conference as to why Castellanos took the crucial penalty over usual taker Bowen.

The West Ham boss responded awkwardly: "We trust Taty to take the penalties.

"I don't know for the next game [whether Castellanos will remain as penalty taker], we have to decide."

Santo was clearly unhappy with his side in the post-match press conference, and refused to confirm or deny whether Castellanos will remain designated penalty taker after his miss against Charlton.

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The pressure is once again beginning to mount on Santo after a poor start to the Championship season, which culminated in the dramatic late penalty miss on Saturday.

Losing at home to Charlton is a result that will sting for West Ham, as the Irons and the Addicks were touted to be fighting at completely different ends of the Championship table before the season started.

The former Wolves and Tottenham boss has already faced his fair share of pressure in the job, particularly when West Ham's relegation was confirmed at the end of last season, but kept the faith of the club's board.

However, if results don't pick up quickly, a change could well be on the horizon, as the East London club look to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

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Plenty of disgruntled West Ham supporters took to social media after their defeat to Charlton, voicing their frustrations at the performance and penalty miss.

One fan was left furious with Santo, questioning whether he was the right man to take West Ham back up.

Another believes Santo is on borrowed time after the latest disappointment.

Another called for Santo to be sacked, or West Ham will be facing similar defeats all season.

Another reiterated that Bowen should've taken the decisive penalty instead of Castellanos.

Finally, another fan suggested complacency could be a cause of West Ham's poor start to the new season.