West Ham may have lost to Manchester City, but the players had a solid showing against the probable champions. The majority of the team looked comfortable against the world-class talent of City.
Goals from John Stones and Ruben Dias on either side of a strike from Michail Antonio was enough for Manchester CIty to keep their unbeaten run going. The Hammers, however, should not feel downbeat after their performance.
Here is how the team rated:
Defence
Darren Randolph: 5/10
Called into the team to cover for an injured Lukasz Fabianski and didn’t do much wrong. Randolph potentially could have done better with Ruben Dias’ goal as he got a hand to it. The second goal came through a host of bodies and would have been seen late by the Irishman.
Considering Randolph was nursing what looked like a tight hamstring for most of the second half, he did his best. The goalkeeper did make the saves expected from him, not sure Fabianski would have done much better in the match.
Ben Johnson ’83: 4/10
Probably the youngster’s worse competitive game for the club. Johnson was at fault for the two goals by not getting close enough to the player who set up the chances. The Englishman did have some good moments in the game, but his inexperience showed.
Aaron Cresswell: 5/10
Cresswell did have an average game but did not help Johnson out enough. The defender is one of the team’s most experienced players and should have helped the full-back out a lot more considering his age.
Despite losing, West Ham’s players put in a good performance against a Manchester City side in top form.
Craig Dawson: 7/10
Dawson put in what is becoming a regular top-quality performance. The defender made plenty of interceptions and blocks. Dawson was vital to helping keep the Citizens at bay for periods of the match.
Issa Diop: 6/10
The French defender looked shaky at times and was almost punished for a terrible attempted challenge on Kevin De Bruyne. Diop did make some good defensive contributions but not his best since returning to the team. The defender also missed a late opportunity to equalise in the final seconds.
Vladimir Coufal: 8/10
Shutting down Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, and now Sergio Aguero, is there anything Coufal can not do? The Czech defender put in a great shift against City. The 28-year-old did not stop for the whole game and was one of Hammers’ best players.
Midfield
Tomas Soucek: 6/10
Soucek did what was expected of him and, like Coufal, did not stop all game. The midfielder helped break up City play. Soucek, however, lacked his attacking prowess, and, if he was more alert at the end of the game, could have nicked a goal from Diop’s loose header.
Declan Rice: 7/10
Class. Pep Guardiola confessed he is an admirer of Rice in the week and will definitely be interested in him come the summer. The midfielder played some classy passes and helped the team push up the pitch. Rice, just like Soucek, also helped defensively and put a top to plenty of attacks from the hosts.
West Ham’s midfield matched Manchester City’s toe for toe in their battle to try and dominate the game.
Pablo Fornals: 8/10
Arguably his best performance for the Hammers for a couple of months. Fornals was pulling out skills and taking on some of the leagues best players. The midfielder helped West Ham on the counter-attack multiple times. The substitution was because, like Antonio, he had not stopped running.
Jesse Lingard: 7/10
Lingard made some sloppy passes in the city half, which has affected his score here. The midfielder, however, was very good and proved that he is used to playing against world-class talent. Lingard did get the assist for Antonio’s goal after he shot fell into the striker’s path.
Attack
Michail Antonio ’83: 8/10
Ran himself into the ground against Guardiola’s side. The City manager pointed out Antonio as a threat before the game and was proven right after Antonio’s poachers finish in the first half. The striker was unlucky only to have one goal after he also hit the post.
Another positive is that Antonio looked back to 100% fitness and did not have any hamstring trouble throughout the match. The striker is also forming a great understanding with Jesse Lingard, which will be crucial going forward.
Substitutes
Jarrod Bowen & Said Benrahma ’83: N/A
Neither player had a long time on the pitch, and neither really made an impact on the game before the final whistle. Perhaps Moyes could have made the changes earlier to give the two forwards more time to affect proceedings.
It was a good showing from Champions League chasing West Ham. The Hammers did not show City the same respect that they showed Liverpool and Manchester United earlier in the month.
West Ham will now have to keep an eye on the Chelsea match as the Blues could go ahead of them if they beat Manchester United tomorrow. Overall, David Moyes will have been happy with the performance against City but will have wished his team had held on to a crucial point.