West Ham United were held to a disappointing draw by League One side Shrewsbury Town in the third round of the FA Cup.
It was a rather dull game for a neutral perspective with both sides failing to break the deadlock in Shropshire, ultimately settling for a replay at the London Stadium.
Although the visiting West Ham might not relish the opportunity to once again scrap with their League One opponents, it will be an unforgettable afternoon for Shrewsbury, who were simply astonishing, to say the least, which could definitely take a huge toll on West Ham’s sketchy football schedule this January.
Here are the best and the worst rated West Ham players rated in their draw with Shrewsbury.
Joe Hart (7.5/10):
His return to his hometown club went a little awkward when the English International had to don a cap thrown by one of the travelling supporters in order to shield his eyes from the low-hanging sun. A clean sheet was just about the extent of his success that afternoon.
Winston Reid (7/10):
A decent afternoon for the New Zealand defender, who won some crucial headers in the defensive third as well as making a couple of important tackles.
Angelo Ogbonna (7/10):
His aerial presence in the defensive department was crucial to West Ham’s overall defence. The former Juventus defender, however, could have done a lot better in defending Shrewsbury’s attackers.
Declan Rice (8.5/10):
Was by far the best West Ham defender in the game, Rice had a relatively stunning outing against the low league opposition. His five aerial duels won, two tackles and an astonishing number of interceptions(6) played a key role in stopping the opposing attackers.
Reece Burke (8.5/10):
Was a busy man on the right-hand side, where the 21-year-old was completely occupied in individual duels against the Shrewsbury wingers and fullbacks. He attempted more tackles than anyone on the pitch while his dangerous crosses caused a lot of troubles for the opposing defence.
Josh Cullen (6.5/10):
He was involved in that nasty collision with Abu Ogogo, where the Shrewsbury attacker’s boot hit the face of Cullen, completely dislodging his tooth in the process. Aside from that, the West Ham midfielder didn’t have a comfortable afternoon either, often struggling against the far more athletic midfielders of Shrewsbury Town.
Pedro Obiang (8/10):
An important cog in the centre of the pitch, it was Pedro Obiang who was dictating the tempo for the Premier League side. His influence is clearly depicted in his impressive statistics of three dribbles, six tackles and three interceptions as well as 40 passes, most by any West Ham midfielder.
Cheikhou Kouyate (6.5/10):
Struggled to impose his physical authority on the pitch as the 28-year-old found it difficult to cope with an extremely disciplined midfield setup of Shrewsbury Town.
Arthur Masuaku (7/10):
Wasn’t as impressive as Reece Burke on the right-hand side except for the fact that Masuaku had completed more dribbles than any other player on the pitch.
Andre Ayew (6.5/10):
His nasty clash of heads with Mat Sadler in the 32nd minute was the highlight of the first half. Aside from that, the Ghanian International also failed to impose himself, just like most of his teammates.
Javier Hernandez (6.5/10):
His total of 25 touches is enough to suggest as to how tough a day it was for Chicharito, who was tightly marked by the Shrewsbury defenders throughout the game.
Substitutes
Antonio Martinez (NA):
Replaced Chicharito in the 71st minute which didn’t make much of an impact on proceedings.
Domingos Quina (NA):
The highly rated 18-year-old midfielder made his FA Cup debut when he replaced Winston Reid with just four minutes left on the clock.
