West Ham United put their turbulent last season aside and made strong signings during the summer but their season was to start off at Old Trafford which is intimidating. It lived up to be a complete nightmare as the home side Manchester United rattled them and whipped four past, Joe Hart. A brace from Lukaku and goals from Anthony Martial and Pogba sealed the deal as the Hammers were undoubtedly outplayed and outmuscled. Here’s how Bilic’s team has been rated:
GK: Joe Hart – 5/10
Made a few decent saves and reduced the margin of United’s goal tally but he couldn’t do much against quality finished from the home side. Conceding four on debut is horrific though.
RB: Pablo Zabaleta – 5/10
Occasional positive signs but he was kept on his toes by Rashford all the evening. He got booked for a late challenge as well. Not his best and there’s no doubt he will improve.
CB: Winston Reid – 4/10
Did not make his presence felt and was battered by waves of United’s attack. He had a torrid time surely.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna – 4/10
Aerially decent but outplayed and exploited.
LB: Arthur Masuaku – 3/10
Suffered brutally against Mata’s clever patrolling with the ball and Valencia’s rigidity. A sad day in the office for the Frenchman.
CM: Mark Noble – 6/10
He wears his heart on his sleeve and his brave blocks were a sight to see. Outplayed in the midfield but he showed more fight than any of the players in the maroon outfit.
CM: Pedro Obiang – 3.5/10
Beaten across the fronts in the midfield and very ineffective and below par against a much superior opponent.
LM: Edimilson Fernandes – 2.5/10
Hardly noticeable and largely ineffective.
CAM: Marko Arnautovic – 5/10
Occasional bits of flair and effort but couldn’t do much against a resilient and an aggressive United defence.
RM: Andre Ayew – 3/10
Blind and Matic got the better of him repeatedly and for a creative player like him, he simply has to do better. Disappointing.
ST: Javier Hernandez – 4/10
Kept at bay by Jones and Bailly and for the most parts, he was an isolated figure watching the game unfold. He showed signs of positive link-up play and against a lower difficulty opponents, there’s surely more he can bring to the table.
