With an impacted first team due to troubling news regarding David Moyes, Issa Diop, and Josh Cullen contracting COVID-19, West Ham sailed past Hull in a professional win to advance in the Carabao Cup. Here are the player ratings.
A young team was named with a young bench to support and the entire crew was thrown into the hot seat with Josh Cullen and Issa Diop failing late testing for COVID-19 along with David Moyes. It wouldn’t matter, though, as a 5-1 scoreline justly tells the tale of a dominant Hammers team cruising on to the next round of Carabao Cup action.
Darren Randolph – 7/10: The veteran keeper was megged on a near-post attack for the only goal against. It shouldn’t have gotten to him but he should have done better. That being said his distribution and hunger to get his young fullbacks running up the pitch was great to see.
Harrison Ashby – 8.5/10: Thrown off the deep end for his first start with Diop pulling out of the team, Ashby was unbelievably comfortable at both ends of the pitch. He contributed to a shotless Hull attack before going off injured from a nasty challenge. Put a star on his name.
Fabian Balbuena – 8/10: Captain Balbuena (yes, he captained the team) was no-nonsense and solid for the Hammers in this match. He made sure to clear his lines when pressure mounted and was always looking for the deep ball over the top to Haller. Professional showing.
Aji Alese – 8/10: Another debutant for the Hammers and another solid performance for Alese. He was composed and didn’t place a foot wrong on the pitch. Another youngster to watch out for in the near future for West Ham.
Ben Johnson – 8/10: Yet another strong performance for Johnson, this time on his off side. The fullback. He was strong in attack, strong in defending, and got stuck in a few times to break up attacks. Switched back to right-back with no issues late in the match as well. Great play.
Robert Snodgrass – 8/10: A wonderful volley from Snodgrass topped off a lovely match for the Scot who got the Hammers on the board early. His physicality and work-rate really suit him centrally and he will be a solid depth player moving forward.
Jack Wilshere – 7/10: This match was a major step forward for Wilshere who looked up to speed and motivated to get playing. He sat deeper but still got forward in the midfield, helping spur the attack on. Solid showing.
Andriy Yarmolenko – 9/10: Man-of-the-match performance by Yarmolenko here as he nabbed two goals and two assists. His opener was a penalty he calmly converted and his second was a wonderful finish from within the box.
Manuel Lanzini – 7/10: Like Wilshere, Lanzini looked strong in this match and got involved wide and centrally with his teammates. His first touch is a little explosive right now, but his presence and passing won him a great rating.
Felipe Anderson – 7.5/10: Anderson was involved going forward and worked well with Johnson at left-back through the match. He is still a little frustrating to follow on every play, however, the quality is there and he makes his teammates better.
Sebastien Haller – 8.5/10: Just shy of Yarmolenko’s team-topping ranking, Haller had two goals today and was superb in the air for the Hammers today. His work rate won’t top Antonio’s, but his finishing and hold up play make him a crucial player for the Hammers.
Emmanuel Longelo (69′) – 4/10: The kid a lot of supporters had been asking for in the first team showed that he may have some maturing left to do before we see him around the first team. His opening touch led to the goal against and he followed it up with a bad tackle on the edge of the box. He settled into the match eventually and finished strong. Still has some growing left to do!