West Ham's 3-2 defeat to Leeds came after a run of six matches in 22 days, due to the rearranged fixture with Norwich City being squeezed in between the FA Cup and Premier League clashes with Marcelo Bielsa's team.
Hammers manager David Moyes was unhappy with the scheduling and did not see why his team should play in midweek when Leeds were afforded a week's break between games, despite playing two fewer league matches than his side.
West Ham twice fought back to level things up at the London Stadium but were undone for a third time by Jack Harrison in the 60th minute and despite a glorious Jarrod Bowen chance late on, the Hammers were unable to find a third equaliser and lost their first match in five.
Moyes admitted that some of his players were visibly tired, with the manager agreeing that Michail Antonio, in particular, appeared to be fatigued.
"We noticed that as well. But it is difficult when you have to play," Moyes said. "He is one of our key goalscorers. We were chasing the game from 15 minutes in and it was really difficult to change him. He was out on his legs after the game but again, what can we do?"
Asked if fatigue played a key role in the defeat Moyes replied: "I think it was a huge factor today. We had Leeds in the cup and in the league game and because of how Leeds play with a high-energy game [it was a factor]."
Moyes was not the only one to comment on the high energy style that Leeds employ, with West Ham captain Declan Rice calling the West Yorkshire side the toughest team in the league to play against.
"You could see we were running all game and we were matching them," Rice told WHUTV.
"The way they play is man-for-man and I don’t think anyone really understands, until you’re on the pitch, what that’s like to play against. They’re the toughest team to play in the Premier League, regardless of the position they’re in, the way they play is really tough to play against.
"They did well, but we also had massive chances, so that’s why it’s frustrating."
Next up for West Ham is a trip to Old Trafford on Saturday for which they have a week to prepare. They then have a 13-day winter break before returning to action with a fourth-round FA Cup tie against Kidderminster Harriers.
Moyes admitted that the break will be key to how his side get on during the remainder of the season and will use it to give his team some rest.
"I’ll give them some time off. If any group of players deserve time off it’s our boys," Moyes told football.london.
"[With] the European fixtures, they had a good run in the Carabao Cup and the games they’ve had to play and they deserve it."
