No Show West Ham Fall Flat in Player Ratings

Just a few days after their dominant win over Aston Villa, a tired and flat West Ham team flubbed their performance against relegation-bound Fulham. Their player ratings reflect the poor effort and also justify the point against Scott Parker’s side.

Lukasz Fabianski – 7/10: Not called upon for much of anything, but Fabianski made the saves he had to to keep his clean sheet. He had a few nice claims off his line, too, which helped tidy up against the Fulham press.

Vladimir Coufal – 7/10: Another solid match under his belt. He didn’t have an assignment on the same level as his Grealish masterclass but was up and down the pitch with ease. He works well with both Fredericks and Bowen and also thumped the crossbar on a wonderful chance.

Craig Dawson – 7/10: Highlighted by a terrific block, Dawson’s performance was quiet and solid – exactly what West Ham needs from him to continue their efforts climbing the table. Business as usual or the must-start defender.

Angelo Ogbonna – 7/10: He picked up a yellow card for a deliberate foul to stop Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s advance into our box but was perfect for the rest of the match. He was great in the air, as usual, sniffing out and snuffing out any aerial attacks to the onslaught of attackers.

Aaron Cresswell – 7/10: There will always be questions about Cresswell’s defending, but his delivery in this match was very solid and should have garnered him at least one assist. He seems to be the key to zone entry for West Ham and was solid tonight.

Declan Rice – 8/10: This was a very real “forget it, I’ll do it myself” match for Rice who was seemingly everywhere on the pitch. A few vital tackles in his own half were brilliant and he was also mixing in the attack well.

Tomas Soucek – 6/10: He shouldn’t have been given a red card, and that isn’t up for debate. Other than falling victim to Mike Dean’s identity crisis, Soucek could have done better on a few headers near goal but was solid elsewhere.

Surely Tomas Soucek’s red card will be rescinded, but West Ham have to hurry in their appeal as their FA Cup match awaits midweek.

Jarrod Bowen – 5/10: He came so close to getting on the end of a Cresswell cross but just had the ball slip by him. He was paced by Antonee Robinson who may be the fastest man alive and still found space to create. Wasn’t his game but he wasn’t poor.

Jesse Lingard – 6/10: He plummeted back down to earth from his two-goal debut, but played very well across the front attacking line. His passing in tight was very fun to watch and when combined with Benrahma, he looks even more threatening.

Said Benrahma – 6/10: Nothing on the scoresheet after getting his first assist in the Premier League in the reverse fixture earlier this season, but the hustle and energy Benrahma brought were noticeable and needed. That goal has to be coming, right?

Michail Antonio – 4/10: He looked completely knackered, didn’t he? West Ham’s only recognized striker was simply worn out from too much football in quick succession and couldn’t even make a sprint after the 60th minute. Concerning development we all saw coming.

Substitutions and Manager

Two things that go hand in hand, substitutions and the manager. For West Ham, this means substitutions and the online criticism against David Moyes after they’re made. In this game, Andriy Yarmolenko and Mark Noble came on for a double switch in the 56th minute for Benrahma and Bowen.

This was criticized as it basically showed the intent to secure a point against a much worse side than us this season. In reality, Moyes was trying to outpace Robinson with Fredericks and pack the midfield where Fulham was dominating but this was undone by Robinson coming off and Parker throwing on three attackers to vacate the midfield.

Overall, it was a poor effort in a poor match, with atrocious refereeing in poor conditions. West Ham have to find a way to win these games because three points will be precious come the next stretch of matches.