West Ham Player Grades After Crucial Draw at Old Trafford

With Premier League safety still in their hands, a well-drilled West Ham team rolled up to Old Trafford and earned their point. Here are the Hammers’ player grades.

Lukasz Fabianski – 7: The goal he was beaten on was the result of some tight passing and a fine finish, so nothing against him here. He made some solid saves when needed and his distribution was fine.

Ben Johnson – 6.5: Another result with Johnson in at right-back, so he can’t be doing too poorly! Still, Rashford, Williams, and Martial all had their chances through him, and he won the battle a few times as well. He’s still growing and doing so at a fine rate.

Issa Diop – 6: He just looks a little off this season, and this match was no different. There is no question he is talented, but decision making and confidence are two areas he needs to improve, as he made it harder for his team today.

Angelo Ogbonna – 9: An absolute rock at the back in this match again, Ogbonna has multiple game-saving blocks and crucial clearances to confirm the needed point. The only reason he didn’t get a perfect 10 is that the clean sheet was missed out on.

Aaron Cresswell – 4.5: This may be the most inflated grade of the bunch as Cresswell again looked completely lost on the pitch. Ball watching, marking no one, and happy to let Fornals take over his defensive duties, I don’t know how he continued on to be the starter over risking Masuaku.

Declan Rice – 8.5: This is not a recording – Declan Rice is an absolute beast in the midfield and is world-class! With a few elite-level tackles, recoveries, and interceptions Rice continued on his impressive form, punctuating it with a few long-range efforts.

Tomas Soucek – 8: Absolutely dependable in the midfield week-in and week-out, Soucek looks more like a footballing machine than he does man. His box-to-box role brings a physical presence on both sides of the ball and he should be unveiled as a permanent player with the Irons safe this season.

Jarrod Bowen – 8: Starman is an understatement as Bowen again proved the be the sparkplug for the West Ham offence. He had Williams on rollerskates a few times, got into the dangerous areas, and didn’t give up on his defensive duties as well. Talisman player.

Mark Noble – 7: He continues to prove his doubters wrong with every match that passes. Noble was calm and composed in his free-roaming midfield role against United, contending with Pogba, Fernandes, and Matic all match long. Long live Mr. West Ham.

Pablo Fornals – 6.5: His few bursts forward were exciting, but he spent post of his time penned in as an extra left-back covering for Cresswell. It’s a shame because he’s extremely creative, but he impacted about as much as can be expected in this match.

Michail Antonio – 8.5: He converted the penalty created by Rice and spent his entire game running up and down the pitch at a relentless rate as per usual. A bit more composure in the final third and he would have nabbed that perfect 10 grade, but he was still a beast!

Substitutions

Sebastien Haller, Arthur Masuaku, and Andriy Yarmolenko all came on for sub appearances. Both Masuaku and Yarmolenko were injury subs as Cresswell and Bowen both hobbled off after lower-body injuries. Masuaku was skinned by Greenwood on a dangerous chance, but was solid otherwise, while Yarmolenko didn’t get much of a look at the end of the match.

Haller’s appearance as Antonio’s replacement was not ideal for him, as he thrives in a dual striker system. He held up play well and helped in repelling a strong end push from United, but no real offensive chances were created by him in his cameo.

With safety secured off of a well-earned point away at Old Trafford where the team was defensively stout and dictated offensive play as well, David Moyes should get a top grade to match most of his players. We push on and look to finish the season on the right foot.