West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce insists Kevin Nolan let the club down after being sent off in their 2-1 defeat to Fulham.

The Hammers skipper was sent off for the second time in four appearances after kicking out at Fernando Amorebieta. 

Allardyce told the club website: "For whatever reason, he's had a rush of blood and the red mist has descended and he has acted irresponsibly and it's something that has made life extremely difficult for us.

"He has let himself, his team-mates and the club down by his actions and he has to shoulder that responsibility and accept what he has done was not right.

"The rest of the lads battled right until the very end trying to get something out of the game, all the way to the final whistle in very difficult conditions, to try to get the goal.

"Whatever happens at the moment, whether it's a deflection or a knockdown or a break, it's not seeming to go our way at the minute."

The visitors went ahead when Mohamed Diame scored early on. But a Steve Sidwell header and a Dimitar Berbatov goal turned the match around.