Stewart Downing rues missed chances

West Ham United midfielder Stewart Downing has said that the club need to start making the most of their goalscoring opportunities.

The Hammers lost 3-0 to Chelsea at the weekend, with Downing concerned that they are being punished for consistently failing to find the back of the net.

"We gave Chelsea a goal start, and I thought it was quite even up until then," he told the club's official website. "They got the penalty, Lampard rarely misses and from then on it was hard for us because they keep the ball and have players who can hurt you.

"We've played ever so well in a lot of games but the problem is that we've missed chances at important times.

"We've got Fulham and Palace in the next two games - two big games and we need the points."

West Ham United are 17th in the Premier League table.