West Ham United entertained Rapid Wien at the London Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to pick up maximum points from this home clash. The Hammers made a quick start to the game and took the lead in the 29th minute courtesy of Declan Rice’s goal. David Moyes’ men protected their narrow lead well and went into the half-time break 1-0 up on the scoreline.
The visitors managed to stay in the contest for most of the second half but finally got undone once more in the 94th minute when Said Benrahma killed the game off by finding the back of the net. The match finished with the Hammers earning an impressive 2-0 win in the UEFA Europa League group stages.
Let’s take a look at how each West Ham player performed during the clash against Rapid Wien.
GK: Alphonse Areola – 6.5/10
Areola had to make just one save during the game and secured an easy clean sheet at home.
RB: Ben Johnson – 7/10
He was strong in the air and performed his defensive duties quite well. Johnson even had a couple of bright moments in the opponent’s half.
CB: Issa Diop – 7.5/10
The French defender marshalled his backline well and did enough to deny the opposition from scoring a goal.
CB: Craig Dawson – 8/10
Dawson cleared his lines when required and even made a couple of important interceptions inside his half.
LB: Aaron Cresswell – 7/10
He was solid at the back and created a few decent chances for others around him in the final third.
CM: Mark Noble – 7/10
Noble was always looking to get on the ball and dictate play from midfield. However, he got replaced after 61 minutes.
CM: Declan Rice – 8/10
The English midfield ace opened the goal-scoring in the 29th minute and produced an impressive display for West Ham throughout the remainder of the contest.
RW: Andriy Yarmolenko – 6.5/10
Yarmolenko struggled to get into the flow of the game but was quite tidy with his passing.
CAM: Nikola Vlasic – 6.5/10
He had some lively moments in the game but got substituted after the hour mark.
LW: Said Benrahma – 8.5/10
He was a constant threat down the left flank. Benrahma kept pushing and finally managed to kill the game off in injury-time and just about deserves the man of the match award.
ST: Michail Antonio – 7/10
Antonio caused a few headaches for the Rapid Wien defenders and has got an assist to show for his efforts.
Substitutes:
CM: Tomas Soucek – 6.5/10
Soucek added some energy to West Ham’s midfield.
CAM: Manuel Lanzini – 6/10
The Argentine struggled to get into the rhythm of the game.
RW: Jarrod Bowen – 7/10
He was full of energy and managed to pick up an assist for setting up Benrahma’s injury-time goal.
CAM: Pablo Fornals – 6.5/10
The Spaniard had his moments but didn’t do enough to score.
