High-flying West Ham United are enjoying a boisterous run across competitions. They locked horns with Aston Villa this evening at Villa Park and registered yet another routine victory to climb up to fourth in the league standings. A 4-1 win against ten-man Villa would boost them further ahead of hosting Liverpool next weekend.
Below are the West Ham United players rated in their commanding win against Aston Villa.
Lukasz Fabianski: 7.5
Could have done little to stop Ollie Watkins’ first-half goal. But the Polish keeper made a majestic fingertip save in the second half to deny the Englishman from finding a second equalizer.
Ben Johnson: 8
Majestic from the right-hand flank as the fullback kept on making timely overlapping runs and fired in early into the game to earn the Hammers a perfect start. Never let Leon Bailey cause menace down the wide. Had some nervy occasions late in the match.
Kurt Zouma: 7
Struggled aerially at times but stayed focused while protecting the narrow lead during the second half. The Villans looked purposeful despite being down to ten men, but the former Chelsea centre-half ensured all three points from the heart of the defensive third.
Angelo Ogbonna: 7
Made some no-nonsense clearances and key recoveries under pressure. His long balls initiated quick transitions from the deep, also calmed things down with his experience and great sense of positioning.
Aaron Cresswell: 7
A balanced game between attack and defence. Did not create enough chances upfront but he nullified Villa’s wing-play with his timely blocks and duels.
Tomáš Souček: 7.5
A decent outing in the middle of the park as a double pivot alongside Declan Rice. Held the ball well and distributed it expertly to stretch the hosts both in defence as well as midfield.
Declan Rice: 9
Dominated the midfield game with his pace, power and energy. Set it up for Johnson in the early minutes, restored the lead soon after Watkins’ goal and dictated the tempo with his down the middle runs, through balls and close-downs all throughout the evening.
Jarrod Bowen: 8.5
Lively in the attacking third as he not only played his part in Fornals’ goal but also fired in the closing minutes to make it 4-1. His swift footwork and flashy skills caused problems in Villa defence. Made way for Nikola Vlasic late in the game.
Pablo Fornals: 8
Worked hard high up the pitch and got rewarded by finding the net in the closing minutes. Emiliano Martinez denied Bowen but it fell favourably for the Spaniard who made no mistake to make it 3-1.
Said Benrahma: 7.5
Switched positions at times as he featured both as a ‘number 10’ and down the left to put pressure on the home side. Assisted Rice after cutting inside. Made way for Lanzini midway through the second half.
Michail Antonio: 8
A rare evening when he failed to score or prove an assist. But the Englishman played his part in the build-ups of both the late goals.
West Ham United Subs Vs Aston Villa
Manuel Lanzini: 7.5
Narrowly missed the target from a free-kick but laid on for Bowen minutes before the final whistle.
Nikola Vlasic: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Vladimir Coufal: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
