Final West Ham Player Grades after Sleepy Draw

The final match of the season has come and gone with West Ham picking up a point in a toothless draw against now safe Aston Villa. Here’s how the players performed!

Lukasz Fabianski – 3/10: He wasn’t called upon until late, but Fabianski absolutely gifted Aston Villa safety with an atrocious miss on Jack Grealish’s fluffy shot on goal. It’s harsh to dampen his whole performance on that one goal, but it dictated the game’s ending.

Ryan Fredericks – 4/10: He was in tough against Grealish in this match and got in his face early but it wasn’t a great day for Fredericks in the end. He backed off too much, couldn’t get crosses into the box, and made more mistakes than positives.

Issa Diop – 5/10: Hard to play in Ogbonna’s shadow, Diop was solid in this match, especially charging forward on long balls. The best chance of the first half came on a perfect long ball over the top which Antonio missed. Solid game.

Angelo Ogbonna – 7.5/10: Arguably West Ham’s best player yet again, Ogbonna was great at the back and on setpieces, he also showed off his dribbling skills near the end of the match. Another great game by the Italian stallion.

Ben Johnson – 8/10: Man of the Match for the Hammers, Johnson had to step in for Cresswell and Masuaku both being injured. Once he was comfortable crossing with his left foot he was incredible. He also freed up Fornals to play more forward, which was terrific to see.

Declan Rice – 7/10: The name of the game for Rice was missed shots, as three long-range opportunities went over Reina’s goal off of Rice’s foot. He was reliable in the midfield again and proved he’s elite with an off game looking so strong.

Tomas Soucek – 7/10: Up and down the pitch with the same speed and efficiency all match long, as described. The first match as an official permanent Hammer saw a few good chances going forward and some solid defensive work again in his own half. A workhorse.

Jarrod Bowen – 6/10: Only 45 minutes for the Starman, but an injury threat was looming and he was wisely removed. He looked fast, cutting, and free to attack with relative ease. What a player we have here!

Mark Noble – 7/10: Another match that can be slotted in the evidence category of Mark Noble still has it. The elder statesman was calm, cool, and deceptively tricky with his ball-carrying skills. Just solid as usual from the skipper.

Pablo Fornals – 7/10: Liberated finally! With a quick fullback behind him, Fornals on the left wing was actually free to stay forward and attack Villa! He covered back well, directed Johnson well, and was threatening when he had the ball. Great game for his confidence.

Michail Antonio – 5/10: He always gets high marks for the difficult job he does, but man oh man he missed a glorious chance to score his 11th of the season. Just missing wide, picking up a yellow, and a last chance for Haller all contributed to him coming off at the half.

Substitutions:

Sebastien Haller and Andriy Yarmolenko came on at halftime for Bowen and Antonio. Haller was isolated and had a few chances in the air, but needed some extra support that just wasn’t there. Yarmolenko, on the other hand, was great in his 45-minute appearance. He scored the levelling goal on a wickedly deflected left-footed shot.

Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson came on for shorter stints, too. Lanzini actually looked really good, but a poor free-kick sours his impact. He was great on the left side of the pitch though. Anderson only got a few cameo minutes at the end but failed to run down a very receivable pass. Not good enough from him.

Overall, the team played possession football well but lacked in end product. Losing Bowen and Antonio at the half contributed to this, but overall the Hammers will win more matches playing football this way than they’ll lose. Cheers to a season that is thankfully over, and one we can push on from. Class dismissed.