Sam Allardyce has said that he understands West Ham United fans being frustrated at the way things are going in the wake of last night's defeat to Manchester City.

The Hammers lost 6-0 in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final at the Etihad Stadium, meaning that they have won just two of their last 13 matches in all competitions.

Fans booed at the final whistle and could be heard chanting "Fuck off Sam Allardyce" during the game, which could increase pressure ahead of this Saturday's crucial Premier League clash with Cardiff City.

"It's life," The Mirror quotes the 59-year-old as saying. "When you're not doing well, you're going to get stick. That's the way this job is. You have to take it on the chin and get on with it.

"You can understand it when they travel all this way and you get beat, you're going to get some criticism. It's life.

"But we're not the first team to get beat by many, many goals here and we won't be the last."

The East London side are 19th in the league table.