Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy ‘we just couldn’t stem the flow’ after West Ham draw

Phil Blanche, Press Association

Cardiff are unbeaten in 10 league games at home, a run stretching back to March, but the Bluebirds remain in the lower reaches of the Championship in 18th place after a 3-3 draw with West Ham.

The Bluebirds were 3-0 up at half-time and boss Brian Barry-Murphy said: “I’m naturally disappointed that we didn’t manage to win the game.

“We showed in the first half what we’re capable of, and the players delivered an incredible performance.

“In the second half, we understood how difficult it may become based on the quality of the opponents. They scored at moments that made it difficult for us.

“I didn’t expect West Ham to sink without trace at any stage. I was very clear with the players at half-time that the best form of defence for us was to attack because we were in such a good position.

“But it wasn’t possible. It’s rare for us to have less possession than the opponents, and we just couldn’t stem the flow once they scored.”

Scott Parker admitted he had to conduct a “very difficult” half-time team-talk before West Ham turned a three-goal deficit into a 3-3 draw at Cardiff.

Parker was appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor on Wednesday morning and was less than 12 hours into the job when Jack Moylan’s first-half hat-trick threatened to destroy his first game in charge.

But, in the proverbial game of two halves, Divine Mukasa, Arne Engels and Max Kilman rescued a point for the eighth-placed Hammers, and it was the visitors who finished a thrilling Sky Bet Championship clash on top.

Hammers boss Parker said: “I came in here at nine o’clock this morning and met the players for the first time, so I didn’t have a lot of input as such.

“As you can imagine, it was a difficult half-time talk. I just helped them tactically and told them, ‘OK, this is the way it needs to be now’.

“Certainly out of possession, we needed to be more aggressive.

“There were tactical changes and substitutions, and we became more front-footed. We took a few more risks.”

Parker admitted he could have skipped the dugout and “sat in a box” with his appointment confirmed on matchday.

But Parker – who won promotion to the Premier League with his former clubs Bournemouth, Burnley and Fulham – chose to spend the night on the touchline.

“The first half was poor in many aspects,” said Parker. “We were very passive and slow with the ball.

“The biggest positive is the team we saw in the second half. That’s what the biggest learning was.

“These boys have come off two defeats. You come to Cardiff away and you’re three-nil down at half-time. I can only imagine what they were feeling.

“They showed a lot of character and that pleased me the most.”