LUCAS PAQUETA broke down in tears following a booking as he continues to battle spot fixing charges.
Graham Potter, the West Ham boss, said his emotional reaction was due to the frustration of being shown a yellow card.
Lucas Paqueta was devastated after being booked[/caption]
The Brazilian, 27, did not feel that he had committed a foul[/caption]
Paqueta wiped away tears after being booked for tripping Tottenham sub Mikey Moore and had to be consoled by Jarrod Bowen and referee Michael Oliver.
There were also clear signs of emotion when the former Lyon man was replaced on 80 minutes, seven minutes after his booking.
The Brazilian has been playing under the cloud of four spot-fixing charges all season.
Paqueta denies all charges and his hearing began during the March international break, though is on hold and will not restart until June.
The midfielder was close to an £85million move to Manchester City before being charge by The FA.
He is alleged to have been intentionally booked in four different games with suspicious betting patterns across multiple firms having been allegedly identified on Paqueta Island in Brazil, where he was born.
Potter said: “He’s just a player that’s trying his absolute best and wants the situation to be better and probably got a bit frustrated with the action.
“Then you see a human being, not perfect.
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Paqueta was substituted seven minutes after being booked[/caption]
“But I love Lucas, he’s given everything and in the difficult circumstances he’s in as well. He’s given everything and he’s absolutely fine now.”
West Ham remain without a win in eight – and have just 14 points in 15 games since Potter arrived.
He added: “It’s a solid performance without being amazing but certainly from where we are I was happy with lots of it.
“They scored against the run of play, it was a mistake.
“Then because of the moment we were having in terms of results, it can be a tough situation for us.
“But credit to the players, credit to the supporters, we stuck together and carried on.”
Following the match, Paqueta’s wife Duda Fournier posted on Instagram.
The influencer wrote on her Insta Story: “I’ve never said anything here, and maybe I shouldn’t have!
“My husband has a posture and strength that I admire and that
IMPRESSES me! We’ve been living this nightmare for two years and he’s ALWAYS strong… he’s always had it in his head that he would only defend himself at the right time and place!
“There’s NOTHING against him. Have you never noticed that? Anyway, God knows everything, and only HE knows why we’re going through this!
“And only because of HIM are we well and living happily as a family! I just wish people would respect him.. People are mean and unfair, without knowing ANYTHING!”
Paqueta’s wife Duda Fournier defended her man on social media[/caption]